Bottles of Summer
by snappleducated
Summary: Rikku grows up in the loudest way possible.
1. Gippal, Glitter

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: These prompts were brought to your courtesy of HEADCANON! Go ask your doctor if HEADCANON is right for you!  
**Author Talk**: Thirty prompts vs. one writer and a rather dubious sense of willpower. We shall see. Basically I've got to pimp Rikku with...everyone. Oh, fun!  
**Prompt Used**: Glitter — #12

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Rikku had a plan.

And it was _magnificent_.

"Right…" Gippal swung a slow arc on one heel, his foot held jauntily aloft, "I'm going home."

"Gippal!" Rikku yelped in the most commanding and fear-striking fashion she could, "Don't be such a lamer! You _promised_! Come _on_!" She scrambled off her belly and up to her feet, movements made clumsy by her wet-suit. Splashing back out of the shallows, she chased after the older boy, her bare feet hopping over the desert sand, smarting. Gippal glanced back, but didn't stop.

"No way, Rikku. Like there's really going to be anything down there." He looked towards the oasis and grimaced for good measure, lazy green eye scanning the monstrous, desecrated ship that rippled in the deeps. "Morons built it out of iron. It's all rust."

"Oh, come _on_!" Rikku hissed, still leaping from foot to foot, quick and agile as she'd ever been. "Loser. Betcha there's something good down there. Like a gun. A really superiffic gun. And then you can take it with you when you go on the crusades and like, all your dumb war buddies will be impressed because, because it's _buried treasure_. Total compensation for your creepy eye patch thing."

"Taunting the cripple, huh?" Gippal watched as Rikku bounced closer, then held up his hands, letting her grab hold of him and step on his feet. "At least I can build up some calluses. Jeez, Rikku."

"Meanie," Rikku sniffed at him. Here eyelashes were very thick and very blond, almost yellow. "Come _on_, Gippal," she whined, "Please? _Please_? PLEASE?"

He shifted again, glancing at the wreck dubiously, "There's gonna be fiends, you know."

"That's why you're coming with me," Rikku chirped with her most dazzling, winning smile, "Because, you know, I'm going with or without you. And. And my brother would kill you if I got eaten. Or. Well. He'd try, and like, then you wouldn't have anyone to hang out with. Except me. Oh, but I'd be dead. So that wouldn't work _at all_, you big jerk."

"Uh-huh," Gippal shuffled forwards, hands catching her by her skinny kid-hips when she teetered, suddenly impressed by the difference between fifteen and sixteen. "I'm going for the gun."

"_Yeah_!" Rikku cheered, springing off him and punching the air with an exuberant leap. When she touched down again she gave a little jump, then raced back to the water, swearing creatively. Gippal slung himself in after her, pushing back his hair and pulling down the oxygen mask she threw to him, before he dove under, fumbling out his dagger as he went. Rikku struck out at his side, grinning, silver bubbles dancing up from her mouth. She was a good swimmer, always had been.

The wreck was deep enough to make his ears hurt sharp, but they hadn't seen any fiends yet, which he took as a good sign. Rikku darted off to the side, circling the wreck eagerly. One of the first airship models, probably. Gippal swam after her, watching as she gave the side an inquisitive rap. She turned back to him suddenly with a manic grin, and beckoned, shooting off towards an open doorway.

Great. Because that was just all kinds of ominous. He made a grab for her ankle but she slid through his fingers and into the darkness. Gippal imagined the bubbles took his curses upwards, sound breaking at the surface.

He swam after her, tense and wary of the closed spaces, of getting stuck and drowning, being cornered, and had Rikku even brought her claw—?

Something closed around his wrist and yanked him hard, catching him on the doorframe as he was jerked through, and then Rikku was taking him by the shoulders, knees banging into his and she was grinning like it was her birthday, and throwing her hands around and pointing, pointing towards the fireplace and up at the mantel where two colorful swords glittered, blades shining and gaudy and as wicked as a fishhook.

Okay, so it wasn't a gun. Still.

He swam a bit closer, rubbing the handles while Rikku bobbed at his side, her smile enormous and proud, eyebrows up. She held up one hand, palm up, and even as he swung his hand through the water to meet with hers, his eye caught sight of another kind of glitter.

Maybe Rikku had noticed his panic, or maybe she was just honing her Warrior Instinct, but she turned, and as one they stared at the flickering school of pirhana.

Rikku grabbed the sword. Gippal grabbed Rikku. What followed was a brief but intense battle of life versus gil, a lot of panicked swimming, Rikku frying everyone when she tried doing a thunderspell underwater, her going into shock from latent trauma, and Gippal dragging her out of the water as a result.

They were not entirely pleased with each other.

"Shoulda let me get the sword," Rikku muttered, and then punched him in the arm. Gippal was still inspecting himself to be sure he hadn't lost any bodyparts.

"Yeah," Gippal muttered, "That'd go over well with Cid."

"And you'd miss me."

"Nope."

"And you'd cry every night."

"In your dreams."

"And _then_," Rikku waddled towards him on her hands and knees, her hair plastered flat to her skull, and she didn't look so mad anymore, "And _then_ whenever some girl hit on you you'd be all, 'No, sorry, my dead girlfriend would come and haunt you,' and I would be chilling out with mom and eating pineapples and we would _laugh_ at you."

"Nah," Gippal scratched at his ear, thought about that girlfriend comment, and decided there wasn't really any point with arguing, not with the semi-unspoken-whatever truth, anyway, "I'd still bang them." Satisfied that he was not profusely bleeding, he snatched off his shirt and started wringing it out, grimacing at the splash. Rikku plopped down at his side and wriggled her butt into the sand, eyes big, snub nose peppered with freckles.

"When you come back from the crusades we can go and get them," she said, almost hesitantly, "The pretty swords, I mean. Because by that time we will be so totally kickassery."

"Sure, whatever," he didn't quite look at her, weirdly uncomfertable. Why did she always have to be so _young_? "Let's go back. I've been alone with you for like two hours, and your brother's probably going to sulk at me again."

"Like anyone cares," Rikku muttered, but stood and crammed her feet back into her shoes, "He's even louder when he'd giving someone the silent treatment."


	2. Tidus, Shoulders

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: Prompts courtesy of HEADCANON. I put that in all caps so you'd join.  
**Author Talk**: So my plan is to do one of these every few days. Ha. Ha…  
**Prompt Used**: Shoulders — #1

* * *

Problem: Sin had eaten all the hot men.

Seriously. _Seriously_.

And what was the point of being stranded on some ugly, dated scrap of machina in the middle of the ocean if there weren't any glorious, tan muscles to ogle? Exactly—there _was no point_. Which is why life sucked royally, and why Rikku had taken to sneak-attacking her brother and shoving him over the rail, and why food fights were totally permissible, and why the cute boy with the pokey blond hair and _those shoulders_ was coming back on the boat with her if she had to knock him out and drag him.

Which she did. Knock him out and drag him, that is.

But that was totally okay. Because he was pretty and not-quite Al Bhed but close enough, and anyway, he was pretty good at holding down the fiends while she stole their lunch money. There was the tiny matter of him being whacked-up crazy, but that was just this sort of temporary set-back thing, and like—

Well, things on the ship had been getting pretty dire. She had been circling the idea of cannibalism before Tidus showed up.

"That doesn't make any sense," Tidus said, when she told him. "I mean, cannibalism. Eating people doesn't make them more attractive."

Rikku was too busy frantically wondering if he had deliberately disregarded her blatant flirting to really take that in.

Also, it made perfect sense. Crazy moron.

Craziness or not, Tidus was her guest, and it was her job to make sure he was comfortable. And by comfortable she meant.

He had _such_ nice shoulders!

With reknewed resolution, she loaded up one of the dinner trays and marched off to find Tidus. It was phase one of her grand seduction plan.

Tidus ate the food she had brought him and did not immediately fall in love with her. This was mildly disappointing. Also, he ate like a pig, but whatever, so did she on her off days. Gippal didn't. But Gippal was probably hitting on some butch army chick with pierced nipples, so Rikku didn't care about him at _all_.

Tidus leaned over the rail, looking out to the ocean. It looked cool, so Rikku did it too, wishing she wasn't wearing her stupid wetsuit, or that her goggles were at least a bit prettier.

They then engaged in witty banter. Sort of. At least one out of the three sentences threw out could have passed for decent conversation, so long as he wasn't talking about Zanarkand and—rising from the dead, or something. But at least he didn't hate the Al Bhed.

So if the kid wanted to go to Luca, she was going to _get_ him to Luca.

"Brother!" Rikku stampeded down the stairs to the mess hall, her arms spinning out and banging hard against the walls, "Brother, we're taking Tidus to Luca!"

The crew laughed. Rikku did not. Neither did her brother. He just screamed a lot. The basic meaning was, 'no.'

Rikku called him a lot of very crude and very unpleasant things, and her brother responded by threatening to dump both her and Tidus in a lifeboat and strand them in the middle of the sea and _good luck_.

The argument climaxed when Rikku screamed, "I am not naming _any_ of our kids after you!" At which point her brother was so offended he had to go and lie down. Rikku thought this meant she had probably won.

Her victory was short-lived, however, because all of a sudden the boat tipped and she was dodging plates of yesterday's meat, except not dodging them well at all and her clothes were _ruined_, and it felt like the world was ending, or something. She grabbed hold of one of the crew members and pushed off them, grabbing the door and tripping her way up the stairs. The boat shuddered ominously, so dangerously diagonal that she could hear the engine clearing the wake and whining and that was _not good_.

She hit the deck and fell, smashed into the rail and clung on, legs kicking for purchase and Tidus falling out of the corner of her eye and there was Sin. Sin, staring at her trash heap of a boat and shifting, spawn writhing across its flesh and she couldn't figure out if it looked more like a whale or a squid, or why that should even matter, since Tidus was falling—no, he was being sucked in, and so was she, fingers soft and pliant and slipping.

And then—

And then there was no Sin, no Tidus, just Rikku losing her grip and hitting the ocean hard, saltwater closing over her head and brine combing her hair. It was very dark, and she kicked out, panicking, waiting for Sin's great evil eyes to pop open from just behind her, the cavernous mouth opening and dark water rushing in and Rikku with it—

Her head broke the surface and she screamed until the crew came on deck and threw her a rope. She clung on and went silent and kept thinking about poor crazy Tidus until her nose was running and she was glad Gippal couldn't see her now—glad Gippal hadn't been on the boat.

"Pnudran!" Rikku shrieked, lips raw and her eyes burning, "Drec ec ymm ouin vyimd!"

**

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Translations:

Pnudran! Drec ec ymm ouin vyimd! — Brother! This is all your fault!


	3. Yuna, Integral

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: The prompts are beautiful and from HEADCANON. All I need is a jingle.  
**Author Talk**: Feel my burning determination!  
**Prompt Used**: Integral — #2

* * *

So after Rikku was done checking to make sure she wasn't dead, she looked up and saw Tidus and thought, _The hot man lives!_

Which was awesome. That he was alive and, like, still hot. And since Rikku had sort of been planning on amping up her sexiness anyways, she gave her tail a good wag and shimmied out of that horrible wetsuit—_finally_.

Except then she figured out that Tidus totally just blew up her ship. Which was an extremely lame thing to do and if he wasn't so cute she would totally shun him. Indefinitely. As it is, she was all set up to give him a good talking to, except then Yuna came scrambling around the corner looking all worried and anxious and it hit Rikku like a zillion tons of manure that her cousin was crazy for the crazy guy.

It's not like she hadn't ever seen Yuna before. They'd met a couple times, not accounting the attempted kidnapping a few hours ago, but it was only hitting her then that Yuna was her family.

Her cousin who looked absolutely nothing like her. With light skin and round pupils, even if one iris clung onto green. She almost screamed innocent feminine beauty and it was one of the most genetically unfair atrocities Rikku had ever encountered in her life.

Her opinion of Tidus did an immediate one-eighty.

He was totally not good enough for Yunie. The vile philanderer! And it didn't even matter that Rikku was only thirty percent certain of what a philanderer was, because she was one hundred percent sure that Tidus _was_ one.

Also, Gippal. Gippal was the king of philanderers. Him and his dumb nipple-pierced girlfriend who, by the way, Rikku was about a thousand times cuter than. Just saying.

And so Rikku took up a solemn oath to protect Yuna from the nasty and wanton ways of adolescent males, to uphold her virtue and sincerity, to protect and to nurture those fabulous knockers.

Not that she expressly said that last part out-loud, or even fully formed the thought. It just sort of _was_. Indirectly. Homeland Security for Yunie's Breasts.

Except, erk, the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up and her danger sense was tingling and she just knew that one of the people trailing in behind their summoner was an Al Bhed hater. She shrank in reflexively, even while Tidus muttered, "Al Beh…Al Beh?" And Yuna's eyes widened and she swooped in, clamping onto Rikku's elbow with one hand and dragging a dark, mysterious sort of woman along with the other.

"Rikku?" Yuna asked, big unmatched eyes blinking and confused. Rikku smiled in that awkward, Oh-Shit-Look-At-The-Time sort of way.

"Sorry I tried to kidnap you, Yunie."

"You've met," the dark woman said, not at all a question, "You are an Al Bhed?"

"Yeppers," Rikku said, a little nervously. The judgment in the woman's eyes did not pass, but did not grow hostile either.

"And do you intend her harm?"

"No!" Rikku yelped, "No, no, I'm trying to _save_ her. Indelicately. But, um, I would never want Yuna to be _hurt_! I just—oh, Yunie, I'm sorry, but I just _can't_ let you die—I just _can't_. "

Yuna blinked hard, and then smiled, "Rikku, it's not so sad…"

"It is!" Rikku insisted, "It sucks!"

Yuna looked down towards the ground, swallowing, and then searched Rikku's face with her odd, hybrid eyes. If she looked hard enough, Rikku could see the hints of herself in Yuna's own features. They had the same lips, the same pointed chin. "Rikku," she said softly, "You know it's what I've decided. No one has asked me to do this. It's just—it's something I've known I would do for a very long time."

"But that doesn't mean you should do it alone," the dark woman murmured, startling Rikku with her sudden reminder of presence. "You should have your family with you," the woman continued, and the way she looked at Rikku made Rikku's insides do a slow, guilty crawl. Yuna didn't seem to notice—actually, her whole face lit up at the idea. In a moment, what had been mere prettiness shifted into something more earnest and breathtaking.

_Oh Yunie_, Rikku thought sadly, _If I were Tidus, I would hit on you so hard_.

The follow-up to this wistfulness was somewhat less romantic, _Tysh ed, ys E dra vmyddacd kenm eh Spira?_

They broke group and Yuna gave the order and then the super-scary guy in his doom-and-gloom sort of way leaned in and wasn't fooled and Rikku just about _died_, because she was suddenly sure that he was the one who'd sooner kill an Al Bhed than look at one, so when she let him see her spiral eyes, she kept one hand curled and her claw untucked—

But he didn't call her out, just walked on. The power of fifteen-year-old relief flew through her, and she grinned at Tidus, but stopped when he returned it with his eyes on Yuna. She narrowed her gaze.

Right. It was so on.

**

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Translations:

Tysh ed, ys E dra vmyddacd kenm eh Spira? — Damn it, am I the flattest girl in Spira?


	4. Auron, Beat

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: Hurry up and join HEADCANON.  
**Author Talk**: I have no idea why I do this to myself. It's probably some sort of latent self-hatred.  
**Prompt Used**: Beat — #19

* * *

So it was official: Auron was a badass.

Nothing could dissuade Rikku from this fact. _Nothing_. Furthermore, he was a badass who knew and guarded her secret…or he had so far. The logical thing to do, then, was to make sure that the badass and potential blackmailer guy was _on her side_.

Plan A was being shamelessly cute. Plan B was a throwing miscellaneous stuff at him and yelling a lot. Plan C probably involved a rape whistle.

"So what happened to the other guy?" Rikku cheeped, skirting the Moonflow's bank with light, skipping feet. Auron trundled on, grimacing. Maybe he was just constipated. Or maybe that was just what you did when you were badass. Rikku bared her teeth and felt appropriately fierce. She stopped when Lulu glanced back at her and sighed.

"Who?" Auron grunted. He stomped through an unfortunately placed huddle of reeds, with Rikku and the rest of the group following his path of trampled grass.

"The other guy. The one who gave you that scar." She pointed towards his dark glasses, and then gave a little wriggling hop as a sudden, exciting new thought struck her, "Was it over a _woman_?!"

She thought she might have heard Wakka snicker, and turned just in time to see Lulu elbow him brutally.

"I tripped," Auron said, and plodded on.

Which was the biggest, fattest, most catastrophically neon lie Rikku had ever heard in her life. She folded her arms and scoffed. Oh, right. Rule number one of being a badass; do not discuss the past. It went along with lighting things on fire and treating prostitutes like ladies.

Rikku was deeply impressed.

"I have a friend," she told Auron, "With an eye do-hickey. Like you. Only he didn't loose his eye in a battle to the death like you did, so he's just really lame and lacking depth perception. I don't think he ever gets into fights, actually. Which is lame. He could fight a little bit. I wouldn't mind. Unless he got his nose broken or something, because that's totally grody and then I wouldn't like him anymore except I actually _would_ but I'd feel really awfully guilty and—Sir Auron!"

"What?"

"No, no! _Sir_ Auron!"

"_What_?" Auron grumbled. Rikku was so excited she was rendered temporarily mute and could only paw at his sleeve.

"You're a knight!" she yelled, and then zoomed back to the main group and leapt upon Yuna. "Yunie! He's a _knight_!"

Yuna suffered the full force of Rikku's body slam and crashed to the ground at exactly the same time a fiend chose to squirm from the undergrowth and nibble on Rikku's leg.

Rikku was understandably outraged. She issued a formal complaint, "YOU FATTY," and proceeded to thrash around, still pining Yuna beneath her. Tidus rushed to help them. The monster looked slightly tickled. Auron proceeded to swoop in and cleave the fiend with a single hit.

Tidus and Rikku shared a look. Tidus coughed, "Go team!" and helped Yuna to her feet, which left Rikku to scramble up on her own. She zipped to Auron's side immediately.

"So you still haven't told me what happened to the other guy and his dragon." She prompted. She thought Auron might have sighed, but he straightened and repositioned his sword, before leading the way into the woods and towards Guadosalem.

"Rikku," he stared, and then stopped, "There wasn't a dragon. Or a woman."

Rikku digested this, "So it was an act of pre-meditated violence designed to avenge your family?"

There was a beat. "No."

"Yes." Rikku argued.

"No." Auron reestablished, and treated her to a brief glare. It was absolutely terrifying. Rikku shut up and cowered and started wishing she'd written her will. After several minutes of prolonged silence Auron looked back at the girl trudging miserably in his wake and paused.

"I was twenty two," he said, and watched as Rikku was essentially Phoenix Down'd.

"Did you win?" Rikku wheedled, her eyes enormously green.

_No_, Auron thought, but said, "I'm here, aren't I?"

"I knew it," Rikku muttered, "I knew it was a duel!"

Auron looked at the path and the shifting, black-on-gold shadow the leaves made. "Yes." He said. Yuna and Tidus, who were pretending not to eavesdrop, recoiled slightly from the poison laced in the older man's sarcasm. Rikku, who had of course not noticed this at all, stood as straight as she could manage for a full three seconds and quivered. Then she let out and enormously and deeply satisfied sigh.

"Good." She said, and strode along in happy silence. Auron was reasonably contented. Tidus looked like he might die from shock. Kimahri was pondering his career choice.

"What happened to him?"

"What?" Rikku cheeped, still caught in her fantasy of a young, dashing Auron gallivanting through Spira.

"Your friend who lost his eye."

"Oh," Rikku shrugged, "He fell."


	5. Lulu, Lipstick

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: Just join HEADCANON so I can shut up about it.  
**Author Talk**: I feel like if I stop writing this story, I won't be able to start again. I must finish!  
**Prompt Used**: Lipstick — #22

* * *

So when Rikku was just about dead and Yuna had used up all her summons and Tidus might have been holding the wrong end of his sword, Lulu tagged into the party and ushered Yuna away. She fixed what Rikku had wrongly assumed to be a glob of snot with a heavy lidded stare, uncoiled one arm and snapped her fingers.

And then the fiend blew up.

It was, okay, _revoltigusting_, but still totally awesome. Especially since Lulu had anticipated the goober-crossfire and had shielded herself beforehand. She had somehow forgotten to do the same for Rikku and Tidus.

"Thanks, Lulu," Tidus moaned, and rubbed at his hair. Rikku sniffed at him, and then wished she hadn't, because snorting fiend was not exactly comfortable. Lulu sauntered away, belt buckles chinking delicately. Tidus and Rikku stood unsteadily, and watched as she returned to Yuna's side. They dripped in solidarity.

"I think she did that on purpose." Tidus muttered. Rikku began to say something sympathetic and comradely before she remembered that Tidus was trying to bang Yuna and that was all sorts of uncool. She bounced after Lulu, copying the older woman's haughty expression. It worked better on Lulu.

"You okay, ya?" Wakka called as she squished past. Rikku thought about throwing a rock at his head.

"Ya," she sulked, "Groovy."

"It makes you look very shiny, you know?" Wakka hollered, still grinning. Rikku stood stalk still for a moment and then rounded on him, treating him to her most sinister Aura of Death Beam.

Doubtless, he was quaking inside.

"Ah, man," Wakka's face squished, "Ya need a bath."

Rikku was not impressed with his false bravado. And it was obviously false. He was probably peeing his pants even now, only she couldn't exactly check because there was really no polite or subtle way to size up the front of a guy's pants and it wasn't as though she new that from personal experience or anything it was just that she didn't want that dumbo getting the wrong idea and _he was going to pay_ and she was totally going to tell on him to Lulu.

Her plan was a thing of beauty.

She plopped down beside Lulu at the campfire later and announced, "Wakka stares at your butt a lot."

It was deeply satisfying right until Lulu sipped her tea and said, "Indeed."

That was it. _Indeed_. He didn't get splattered with fiend mucus at _all_. Rikku swelled with indignation, but before she could say anything else, Lulu continued, "It is not so uncommon."

…Oh.

Rikku was abruptly aware of how glamorous Lulu was. How adult and dark and sultry and she had _purple lipstick_ and—

"Have you ever had sex?" Rikku blurted.

Lulu closed her eyes.

"You actually don't have to answer that," Rikku backpedaled immediately, "Actually. I was only mentioning it because. It's all Wakka's fault!" And then she took an extremely large bite of whatever dinner was supposed to be and swallowed with great effort. Lulu regarded the fire.

"I prefer to keep my affairs private," Lulu said coolly. Rikku nodded. One of the logs collapsed. On the other side of camp, Wakka and Tidus were trying to get Auron to share his suspicious flask of undoubtedly potent liquor. Auron's level of menace was steadily increasing.

"So…wait, so that means you _have_?!"

"Rikku."

"Sorry. Was it funny?"

Lulu sighed. Rikku charged forwards, "Because. Because I've thought about it. Sex. I mean. Why am I whispering? SEX SEX SEX!"

Tidus and Wakka stopped bothering Auron, who now looked faintly pained. Yuna was red to her toes. Kimahri was again pretending not to know any of them. Rikku hid behind Lulu. "Ahem. As I was saying."

Lulu's tight, shiny black braids swung gently as she tipped back her head, studying the canopy above them, "Would you like to know something?"

"Yes!" Rikku chirped, and zipped back to her abandoned dinner. It was always good to have food on hand during this sort of thing. That way should could act like her mouth was full and she wouldn't have to say anything.

"The truth is," Lulu put her hand on Rikku's shoulder and leaned in, orange fire light spilling across her powder-pale skin, "Women do it better."

Rikku sat.

And thought.

And thought.

And thought.

And fell off the log. "You mean you're a oh my god I'm so sorry I had no idea but that's totally cool because I mean I get the whole discrimination thing and I do not discriminate _at all_ and you're really hot and I sort of have this big fat girl-crush on you but like there is actually this idiot I like and I have for a really long time but you know maybe he doesn't like me back and if he doesn't I totally accept your proposal except actually maybe I don't because you're kind of scary and anyway my heart would be forever shattered so all I'd be good for is wandering the outskirts of creepy towns and wailing."

Lulu looked down at the girl spread across the forest floor and her babbling embarrassment and leaned over, scooping Rikku back to her side.

"Such a pity," she murmered, and went back to her tea. Rikku sat stiffly, round eyes blinking and twitchy before a bead of suspicion crept into her mind.

"…Were you teasing me?"

"I would never."


	6. Wakka, Gravity

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: SEX SEX SEX SEX HEADCANON SEX SEX FREE BEER SEX SEX SEX  
**Author Talk**: Sick, I'm one-fifth done! Also, I would like to say thanks to all those people who have been reviewing. I really like this fandom, all the feedback I've been getting is really organized and helpful. So, thank you!  
**Prompt Used**: Gravity — #14

* * *

If there was anything in this world of which Rikku was certain, it was this: Wakka had to die.

Alternatively, he could cry like a fat loser.

She wasn't picky.

Rikku lay on her back and faced the stars while Yuna breathed evenly at her side and Kimahri took the first watch. Tidus was propped up against a tree, probably waiting for Rikku to fall asleep so he could actually approach Yuna without being hissed at. Creep. Rikku made a show of pointing towards Yuna, his crotch, and then making snippy fingers. Tidus made a face.

There were many ways to destroy Wakka—she just hadn't picked one yet. She'd mentioned the great poetic justice of sticking a cork up his butt and watching him explode, but Yuna had commented that she didn't understand how that was poetic justice.

This presented a problem. It was pointless to cunningly scheme if you were too clever for the audience. Rikku sighed. Oh, the woes of being smarter than everyone else!

Wakka gave a great snort as she formed this thought, and rolled over in his sleep, burly tanned arms flopping. Rikku glared at him, creeping closer, upon which he twitched and managed to kick her in the nose.

And that was just it.

"Wakka," Rikku whispered, and when he didn't wake up she accidentally stomped on his head.

"Ouch!" Wakka hissed, his big hands swinging out and banging into her legs, almost knocking her over, "What ya trying to—Rikku?"

"Yes," Rikku hissed, grabbed him by the ear and yanked him closer, "I have something to discuss with you."

Wakka, however, was having none of it. He had ascertained that she was not a fiend, well endowed, or holding food, and so lugged away from her and settled in on his side. Rikku's lower lip jutted, but she crawled forwards doggedly. "Listen buster," she ordered, and shoved a finger under his nose. "Stop checking out Lulu. She's my woman."

"Oh, ya?" Wakka mumbled. Rikku watched him for a moment, then trundled back to Yuna's side, pried Tidus away from his secret-watching spot, and fell back asleep.

It didn't last long.

Fourteen minutes, actually.

"Rikku," Wakka shook her awake, "I had a bad dream."

"Oh really," Rikku said, with great relish. Wakka looked at her, then, slowly, his eyes narrowed.

"Naw," he laughed abruptly, rubbing the back of his head, "No way—"

"Oh, way," Rikku said coolly, "Turns out Lulu's got a thing for slime."

"Don't mess with me, Rikku."

"I'm not," Rikku said importantly, and stacked her arms over her chest, delighted by the faintly suspicious look Wakka kept on stuffing back. "I know how to appreciate a woman."

Wakka gaped. And then he laughed again. It came out squeaky, "That's funny, ya?"

Rikku smiled.

"I know you're lying to me, Rikku," Wakka said, "Lulu isn't like that."

"You don't understand the passion of my love!" Rikku exclaimed, awakening Tidus with her yip. He just looked at her blankly, but retreated hastily when both she and Wakka formed barricade to Yuna. "Because you're all big and lame and you laugh at people when they get _slightly dirty_—"

"You had slime in your underwear, man!"

"That is hardly the point!" Rikku snarled, "And I can't believe you know about that! You—you depraved fatty!"

"I am _not_," Wakka said indignantly, "I'm all muscle, man!"

"Whatever, you—you lummox! Stay away from my girl!"

"She isn't your girl!"

Normally, Rikku would have admitted defeat here. She would have scoffed and teased and dodged the objects hurled at her—but. Lulu was pretty hot.

"I'll _fight_ you," she threatened, and raised her little fists, "Come on, you lamer!"

Wakka adopted that haughty, superior expression so favored by those in a position of supposed maturity, "I'm not going to fight you, Ri—" He caught himself off with a bellowed oath, as Rikku's rude interruption came via a punch to the eye.

This only confirmed Rikku's suspicions that she and Lulu were the new dream couple. She had fought for her love and won. She had stared death in the eye for that sultry, teasing woman and triumphed—!

"YOU BRAT." Wakka roared, and grabbed her around the knees. Rikku was unpleasantly surprised. And she most certainly did not appreciate him interrupting her narration of triumph.

"I accept your defeat gracefully!" Rikku announced, as it felt like Wakka might be trying to crush her to death, giving the way he was sitting on her, "You—you…big…fat…loser…"

She proceeded to groan dramatically and died.

"Rikku," Lulu swept in and folded her arms, clothes perfectly bound and not a hair out of place. It came to Rikku then that the entire camp was watching them—which was great.

"He _cheated_," she told Lulu smugly. Wakka seemed petrified. One of Lulu's feet was tapping dangerously. Wakka moved away from Rikku as slowly and non-threatening as he could manage, as though he were dealing with some sort of man-eating monstrosity that farted fireballs.

"Lulu," Wakka said, hands edging towards his Blitz ball, "Don't be mad, ya?"

If looks could kill.

"I told him about our illicit affair," Rikku informed the curious masses. Auron snorted. Yuna hid her face in hands. Tidus did his best to sneak a grope and was nearly impaled by Kimhari.

"Lulu, you're not really—you're not, right man?" Wakka looked honestly, earnestly nervous. Lulu proceeded to make her dramatic exit.

"Don't be an imbecile."

Wakka and Rikku sat side-by-side as the others gradually lost interest and went back to sleep. Rikku glanced at the Besaidian and felt a tiny, tiny tinge of guilt.

"Good news," she informed him, "We can be friends now."


	7. Seymour, Zombies

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: Join HEADCANON! It prevents cancer!  
**Author Talk**: I forgot to say this. So the structure of this story is essentially ten Rikku-pairings with each pair getting the spotlight three times, bringing us to a total of thirty chapters. Joy.  
**Prompt Used**: Zombies — #6

* * *

Contention One: Rikku was never going to escape Guadosalem alive.

She had good reason to believe this. Predominantly, the way all of the Guado seemed to be holding forks.

"It's traditional, Rikku," was all Yuna would say about the matter. Rikku suspected brainwashing or alien abduction.

Lulu and Auron clearly thought she was being moronic, Wakka and Tidus were far beneath her superior intellect, and Kimahri was suspected of taking a vow of silence. Rikku pouted. It was grossly unfair because she was so _obviously_ the most delicious member of the party, and it wasn't like _Wakka_ had to worry about getting snacked on.

Contention Two: Wakka smelled like bird poop.

Probably because a bird had pooped on him.

Rikku snickered. The entire group looked back, and Wakka's hands went to his wild cowlick, "It's not funny, man."

The Guado leading them pretended not to notice the slight commotion happening behind him, and turned proudly in front of an ornate, curling wooden structure sunk deep with colored glass.

"Maester Seymour resides here currently," the Guado began, with great pomp and importance. Rikku fidgeted, peering over her shoulder as the elder droned on. Was that kid holding a _spoon_? She glared at him, then shuffled after the group as they moved inside—

A banquet table. They had been lead straight into their certain doom. Rikku munched on a brightly colored fruit while she mulled this over, before an image of a pig with an apple in its mouth flashed through her mind. She set the fruit down hastily and regarded it with the utmost suspicion. Barely a second had passed before Tidus had stuck it in his mouth. Rikku stared at him in horror.

"Oh, gross!" she wailed, "Now your germs and my germs are mingling and making babies!"

Tidus stared at her. So did everyone else. Rikku wrung her hands. Tidus surreptitiously spat into his cup. Yuna put her face in her hands, and Seymour made his grand entrance.

Rikku was instantly entranced. The desire to braid his hair was _overpowering_. Beside her, Tidus tensed—an aggressive, nervous stance, almost animal. Rikku glanced at him quizzically, only to have him shake his head, lips pressed thin. Rikku had a moment of blinding insight: Yunie was obviously the center of a love triangle. It made perfect sense. She peeked towards Yuna, and her cousin's rigid spine, her almost painfully-attentive expression.

Rikku grinned smugly. Yunie was so cute. Though still too young to be dating. And wasn't Seymour old? Like, thirty or forty or _pretty shining cities_!

Rikku intention span was masterful. She frolicked in synthesized Zanarkand and awarded Seymour two points, creepy hands or no. Also, he was tall and not crazy. And kind of interesting to look at, not that she was looking! Because that was totally Yunie's turf and Rikku loved Yunie more than anything and oh boy, look at all that machina!

For a second she thought she saw Gippal. Rikku spun, about to yell something like, "I know your descendent and he's obnoxious!" if it was an ancestor, or, "You stupid jerk, you know I hate writing so why won't you ever send me a letter back?" But by the time she'd fully turned and recognized the flash of blond hair for Tidus, her impulses stilled along with the pictures of a dead city.

"Tidus," Rikku whispered, "Despite your occasional idiocy and persistence in thinking that you are good enough for Yunie—which you aren't, actually, but I am willing to overlook this even though you toyed with my pure maiden heart and almost sunk my boat—I want you to know that I'm on your side!"

Tidus looked marginally less grumpy. Satisfied, Rikku fell in line with the others and marched up to the Farplane in silence, only slightly deterred by _the creepy zombie thing that popped out of nowhere and tried to chew on her brains oh god_

"Rikku," Yuna said gently, "There's nothing to be scared of."

"I'm not scared!" Rikku said brightly, if a little strained. Leaping three feet into the air and attaching herself to a slightly annoyed swordsman proved to be more difficult than anticipated.

"I can understand how you'd be startled—"

"I'm not," Rikku insisted, locking her legs when Auron attempted to pry her off, "Really, moaning undead beings and wandering into potential cannibal land is all part of the job description, right? Right?" She paused to laugh hysterically.

"—But Lord Jyscal," Yuna continued with her typical, saintly patience, "Can hardly be considered a malevolent spirit."

"Spira has a way of twisting things," Auron growled, and even Lulu looked a bit perturbed. Rikku weighed the pros and cons of throwing a tantrum.


	8. Tidus, Pulse

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: Poor HEADCANON. So alone. So scared…  
**Author Talk**: The first repeat! How exciting. And Auron's turn is next, by the way. I tell you this because I am running out of things to say.  
**Prompt Used**: Pulse — #10

* * *

Life _sucked_!

Life sucked and she was going to _die_!

Life sucked and she was going to die and she was not going to _just calm down_ and there was no way, just _no way_ she should be expected to die without ever getting a proper kiss. A _proper_ one. Not a little peck on the forehead or check or one of those stupid, sloppy things given by spinning bottles, but _a damn kiss_.

Was that so much to ask for?

NO.

Unless, of course, the person she was asking happened to be Auron, THE HEARTLESS TYRANT OF DREAM-CRUSHING SADISM.

And she was so not talking to him. Nor did she have plans to. _Ever_. That horrible fatheaded meanie, with his big red coat and compensation sword and _who the hell wore sunglasses inside, anyways_?

Horrible, fatheaded _meanies_!

Rikku made an internal vow to spit in his food. Assuming, of course, that she didn't die. Or fall into a coma. Because that would suck, and she would smell like barbeque, all fried like that, and then Auron would probably do his little 'heh' shtick, and waltz on to protect _Lady Yuna_ and then who would protect Yunie from Tidus and his tanned, toned self?

People should really start realizing how essential she was to the group. It was a wonder no one had gotten knocked up yet, what with how Wakka kept eyeing Rikku's woman. As in, Lulu, and not Yuna. Though Yunie was kind of her woman too. A FACT WHICH TIDUS SHOULD ACKNOWLEDGE AND APPRECIATE—

"Rikku," Wakka gave her a friendly slap on the back, which was basically equal to getting hit from behind with a battering ram, "You're thinking out loud again."

"I am upset," Rikku said with great dignity, "With certain individuals."

"Not me." Wakka clarified. Rikku considered.

"No, I am. Because you just broke my spine and now I will never be able to interperatively dance again!"

"That's a good thing, yah?"

_Rikku hated everything._

"You're doing it again, man," Wakka pointed out, and Rikku was about to make a snappy retort, except for the colascol bolt of lightning that tried to like, smack her butt or something. Seriously. _Seriously_. Her shorts were totally singed.

"Auron!" Rikku shrieked in her best calm-and-controlled voice, "Auron, _I told you so_!"

"You survived," Auron grunted. He was busy watching the group of fiends closing in on their party. The fiends had noticed Auron's dark-glasses glare and were reconsidering.

"You are a horrible old man," Rikku gibbered, "_Awful_. I bet you have potted plants. And. And you smell funny and I hate you and oh god, can we please go back to the place with creepy zombies?" Another jolt touched down only feet from where Rikku stood. Her muscles seized and she snapped a hand around Tidus's arm, her teeth rattling around in her mouth, everything stretching. Tidus glanced back at her, tried to pull her along, and ultimately found himself pinned as Rikku attached herself to his leg and threw a tantrum. It was an area in which she had great experience. Electricity pulsed through the earth and up her spine, almost like magic, but—not. Not tainted by humanity or feeling, only power in its purest, rawest form.

"I would not stop you," Auron intoned, and kept pace. The fiends quietly hid under a rock. Rikku was _so betrayed_.

"Hey," Tidus said suddenly, "Maybe we could take a break?"

There was a god. A magnificent, beautiful, shining and glorious one and his name was Tidus and Rikku loved him with all of her little being. She was moved to _tears_. Tidus allowed this, but drew the line at snot.

The party made their grudging way to the inn, where the thunder was, at least, quieter. Rikku took the time to revisit her have-children-by-Tidus plan.

And she was so not buying Auron a birthday present.

No, seriously. She would make a cake and it would just _happen_ to be on his birthday and everyone would be allowed to have a piece except him. And she would _laugh_.

Rikku chuckled. Auron decided enough was enough, it was time to get going, and her good spirits evaporated. Stupid Auron and his stupid scruffy self. Maybe he was scarred of spiders. She would catch them and put them in his hair except that oh, maybe not, because spiders were gross and that was kind of mean and—

"Rikku, I can make you a blankie, if you want."

"Shut up, Wakka!" Rikku roared, trembling as she clung to his arm and allowed herself to be dragged forwards. Wakka chuckled. Rikku sulked.

"I bet it'd be an ugly blankie, anyways," she sniffed, her eyes clamped shut, "Like. Like pink with barf stains all over it. My blanket back at home was awesome. It was yellow, and yellow is a totally dazzleriffic color."

Gippal hadn't had a blanket. Her brother had needed five.

"I like yellow," Tidus mused, probably trying to comfort her. Rikku wibbled.

"Don't let me die a virgin, Tidus!" she whispered. Only she had to whisper sort of loud, because he was standing so far away. Which meant that everyone heard it. Including that stink-bug in red. Who was dead to Rikku, by the way.

"I've already kind of got my hands full," Tidus said, and looked at her pointedly, then amended, "Well, no, I don't. That's the problem."

"It's fine!" Rikku wailed, "I'll help!"

Lulu rolled her eyes. It wasn't particularly subtle. Tidus began to respond to her outburst when Rikku remembered herself.

"Oh, good, you evaded temptation," she coached him, "Stilll not good enough for Yunie, but. I think you show definitely signs of progress and—AURON AURON THAT ROCK IS ALIVE!"

Yuna and Tidus took great pains to evade eye contact while dispatching the new fiends. Rikku hung onto Wakka's back and offered the occasional scathing comment whenever he missed his mark. She went into brief cardiac arrest when Lulu's spell went rouge and she was struck by lightening for the second time in five hours, which was just _so unfair_.

Obviously, Rikku thought as she sprawled out in the mud, she required immediate attention. Mouth-to-mouth. _Obviously_.

Tidus, who was no stranger to the procedure, stepped up to the task. No sooner had his lips touched her own than Rikku sprang upright, grinning enormously. "Ha!" she yelled, and pointed at the sky, "Take your best shot! I'm ready y—OU OH GOD I DIDN'T MEAN IT AURON AURON AURON DISTRACT IT WHILE I ESCAPE."


	9. Auron, Roots

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: Join HEADCANON. Because everyone is, and it'll be like the new iPod, and you will be _the only kid without an iPod_.  
**Author Talk**: I'm going to do NaNoWriMo in November, so updates will slow down. I'll definitely manage at least one per week though, so never fear!  
**Prompt Used**: Roots — #20

* * *

Someday, the world would have to acknowledge Rikku's raw sex appeal.

That day was not today.

And it was so _infuriating_. Men in real life, it seemed, did not behave as they aught to. They were _supposed_ to fall over themselves at the faintest sniffle. They were _supposed_ to go weak in the knees at her quivering puppy-eyes. They were _supposed_ to display slightly more emotion than a constipated rock.

As always, it was Auron who crushed these dreams. That evil, wrinkly old toad.

Rikku informed him of this recent development and waited for the heaven's wrath to fall upon him.

It didn't. Further proof that romantic literature was one big, fat, stinkin' lie.

And Rikku hated romantic literature.

She loathed those books tucked under her bed so damn much.

And she would not be permitting Yunie to read those, by the way. They were of questionable content! Also the main romantic lead sounded suspicious like Tidus.

And Rikku was not going to condone that sort of behavior. It was bad enough that they were in the land of glittery trees and sparkling butterflies, accompanied by the swift, sweet gurgle of running water in the background—she didn't need Yuna getting _ideas_.

After all, _Rikku_ had gotten ideas. And what had happened to those ideas? They had been ruthlessly stomped on.

Speaking of…

"It's not that big of a deal!" Rikku moaned, "Come on, you're being a grump. And I know that's not you, Auron. You're a big, happy ball of fun. And joy. And. Glee. Occasionally, I mean, when you're not, um, not killing things. No, wait, it's the other way around—"

"No," Auron said, again, which was most poopie thing Rikku had heard all day.

"It's not like I'd break it," Rikku stressed, "Come on, Auron. Everyone's gotta give up the pacifier sometime. You can do it, big boy!"

"It's my sword."

"Just let me hold it!"

"This is starting to sound really suggestive."

"Shut _up_, Wakka. That is like the most unhelpful thing _ever_."

"Yeah, Auron, let her touch your sword." Tidus chimed in, and was nearly thrown to the ground by the combination of Auron's stare and Wakka's enthusiastic tackle.

"Yeah, man! I knew you could do it, bro!"

"You are all degenerate-moron-fart-heads!" Rikku yelled, and pointed and stamped for good measure. She was extra proud of managing to worm 'degenerate' in there. It was a very bomb thing to say.

"Sometimes I have these fantasies of intelligent conversation," Lulu intoned wryly. Yuna tucked her mouth behind her sleeves, and Rikku was most indignant.

"I said _degenerate_."

"Can I pet your sword too, Auron?" Wakka was still snorting, Tidus leaning on him unsteadily. Rikku held her breath until her head swelled up purple and exploded.

"You wouldn't be able to handle it," Auron said, regally, and continued down his own jeweled catwalk. The rest of the group watched him go in silence.

"Go back to playing with your balls," Rikku snuck in, before the topic died and her witty line was lost forever. She bounced off after Auron, ignoring Wakka's huffs.

"Auron Auron Auron Auron."

"No."

"I haven't even asked." Rikku's fingers were tapping fast, getting that itch, and she licked her lips and looked down. She could do this. She could hear Gippal now, smirking and messing up her hair and saying, "You quit stealing, you quit for good. Remember the steps, Rikku."

But like she cared about that jerk. Or his butch army girlfriend. Who was, by the way, called Pus.

"Auron."

"No."

"No, Auron, as in, I am winding up to ask a question, whereupon you will offer awesome advice and I will be enlightened and worshipful and finally know what to do about Hypothetical Blond Boy A and his apparent stupidity—"

"No."

"WHAT."

"I'm not answering this question."

Rikku thought about a massive anvil popping out of the sky and bonking Auron on the head. But not killing him. Just giving him little swirlies over his head, because she didn't want Auron dead, she just wanted him to be in hideous pain only not really because then he would probably be even grumpier and—

"Okay," Rikku began again, with all of her cunning genius, "Have _you_ ever had sex—"

"Hypothetical Blond Boy A is imaginary and beneath your notice." Auron interrupted. Rikku squinted.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"We are not discussing this."

"Oh _ew_!" Rikku slammed her hands over her eyes and tripped over what might have been an air particle with astonishing grace, "Auron! You're too old to be naked!"

Auron looked towards the sky long-sufferingly.

"I am so disappointed in you," Rikku added, "You're supposed to be setting an example!"

"For you?"

"For Yunie, stupid!" Rikku shook her little fist, "She's pure and innocent and needs protection from admittedly hot crazy guys—TIDUS I _SAW_ THAT!"

Tidus retreated. Rikku glared at him balefully for another few seconds, then spun back to Auron with her nose wrinkled.

"I have no idea what we were talking about!" she announced, "Well, whatever. I will always remember this time we spent together fondly and OH GOD I REMEMBER NOW YOU _SICKO_."

Rikku turned her back on the silent warrior and stomped back to the main party, making retching faces as she went.

"Rikku," Auron growled, "Give back my sword."

"I swear, this thing is _so hard_ to stick under a shirt."


	10. Seymour, Sandman

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: I should just get rid of this section, huh…God, I hope I don't go into advertising.  
**Author Talk**: Hi, reviewers? I just wanted to say that I like you guys. You're all so...grammatically correct. Wow, that's like the lamest compliment ever. _Grammatically correct_? What I meant to say is that you're all _sexy_.  
**Prompt Used**: Sandman — #28

* * *

"Yuna, do you think Maester Seymour is sexy?"

Yuna made a little noise. Like she was attempting to cough up a hairball.

Rikku sighed dreamily, "Yeah, I think so too."

Yuna floundered. Rikku put her hands over her cheeks and did a little skip, popping up one heel and giggling.

Yuna responded by choking to death, her tragedy unnoticed by Rikku's vapid infatuation. And thus ended her pilgrimage.

"Oh my _god_!" Rikku yelped, and sat up so quickly upon awakening that she smacked her forehead into an icicle and fell back to the ground, curled up and wailing. Everyone else was far too used to this to particularly care.

"Nightmare?" Wakka asked. Rikku got to her feet and ploughed past him.

"Shut up, Wakka. I have to go find Lulu's fabulous knockers and relearn what sexiness is, because my current idea is _wrong_."

Wakka didn't ask.

But he did make fun of her.

And she was just about to make a totally killer retort when Seymour's creepy smile slid past her mind's eye, and then she just wanted to _die_. "I'm sorry, Tidus!" she wailed, and went to find Lulu.

What she ended up with was Yuna.

And that was just not cool at all. But it was okay! Because Rikku was _stealthy_.

"I had this dream where I thought Seymour was sexy and you died," Rikku blurted. It was an evasive maneuver. It really, really was.

"Oh." Yuna said after a pause. She nodded hesitantly, "Well, I'm not…dead. So that's…that's good, yes?"

"Of course!" Rikku hastened to agree, "And your breasts are lovely Yunie, but I feel like Tidus already checks you out enough, and if _both_ of us do, then you might get all stressed out."

Yuna's mouth hung slightly open.

"Don't worry," Rikku said earnestly, and grasped her cousin's hand tightly, "The situation is _under control_. Where's Tidus?"

Yuna very obviously did not want to tell her. Rikku mentioned just _how many_ abs the Maester had, and Yuna pointed.

It occurred to Rikku as she trotted away that Yuna was sort of potentially engaged to Seymour, and maybe she ought to have been more sensitive.

But.

Well.

Seymour was so _old_. It was like lusting after Auron. Only Auron with blue hair. Who was creepy.

And Auron was hotter anyways.

AND SHE DID NOT JUST THINK THAT.

"Rikku," Lulu stepped out of the surrounding blizzard, her arms folded, "Fiends eat girls who sit around disrupting the peace."

Rikku stopped screaming.

Yeah, she probably should have gone to Tidus.

"I humbly apologize for disrupting the peace," she said, as formally as she could manage, "I beg your forgiveness and permission to—to proceed with. Um. Line?"

Lulu calmly walked away.

Rikku thought this meant her life was spared.

Also, whoever had invented show deserved to be shot.

She made a tiny snow man as an apology, then hastened to find Tidus in all of his tanned glory. Tanned unattainable glory. Seriously, Yunie was just snarfing up the guys left and right—first Tidus, then Seymour—

AND THAT WAS PERFECTLY OKAY, BECAUSE IT WASN'T AS THOUGH RIKKU HAD ANY INTEREST WHATSOEVER IN THAT EXTREMELY CREEPY MAN.

Rikku hustled along, heartened by the blond tufts of hair poking out of a snowdrift. She stuck her hands in and tugged Tidus out, fingers wet and burning from the chill.

"Whatcha doing?"

"Wallowing," Tidus said. A bit of snow slid down his nose and dripped. Rikku was respectfully silent and understanding for about two seconds.

"So anyway, I had this dream wherein Seymour was sexy and Yuna died."

"I'm going back to the snow pile."

"It's okay, Tidus," Rikku patted his shoulder, "I'm rooting for you. We're bros, right?"

"Uh."

"Right." Rikku nodded firmly, and in true brotherly fashion, slung an arm over his neck and leered, "So how far have you gotten with Yunie, huh?"

Tidus looked petrified.

"Come on, you can tell me," Rikku beamed. Tidus shifted.

"Rikku."

"_Yes_?"

"Why are you acting like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like a deranged old man."

"I'm approaching you in a manner reminiscent of Wakka!" Rikku announced, and was so proud of herself for throwing the word reminiscent in there that she gave Tidus' broad shoulders a squeeze.

Tidus paused, "Wakka doesn't act like that."

"Auron?"

"Would never be discussing this with me."

"Kimhari?"

"Maybe Seymour."

Rikku joined him in the snow drift.


	11. Wakka, Superheroes

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: I'm going to think of a new section pretty soon. Join Head_Canon, by the way.  
**Author Talk**: What the heck, I thought you guys were my friends. Why did no one stop me from doing NaNoWriMo? I always forget how crappy an idea it is.  
**Prompt Used**: Superheroes — #8

* * *

Rikku did not appreciate Wakka crimping her style.

Which basically translated into her stuffing back hysterical crying fits. But whatever, it wasn't as though she'd done anything wrong. It wasn't like she'd chosen to be born an Al Bhed, and—and she shouldn't even have to defend herself, because there wasn't anything wrong with being Al Bhed, because Gippal and Brother and Mom were Al Bhed, and since Gippal's hypothetical girl friend was probably a less-cute version of Rikku, she was an Al Bhed—

Except Rikku actually didn't want to be sharing a gene pool with hypothetical-Pus, but that was _beside the point. _The point was that Wakka's brother was still dead and Wakka was still blaming her for it and that was so grossly unfair because Rikku'd never even met Chappu and from the stories Wakka told he hadn't sounded like such a bad guy and—

And Wakka was getting crossed off the friend's list! In red ink! With lots of exclamation points!

And Wakka was still crimping her style. She couldn't even do the awesome pelvic-thrust of victory whenever she kicked fiend-butt. Now it was just this little fist-pump action, and really, how lame was that?

And chilling out in Winter Wonderland, (god, she was punny,) was not all that great. After the first snow angel had been made, she'd cooled off, and thought long and hard about going home. She could have showed everyone the hovercraft she'd built! But that she was not allowed to drive due to that dumb little thing known as safety regulations and her complete disregard for them.

But things were so much more exciting without safety rails! Wakka would totally agree with her—

Except that he wouldn't. Because now Wakka hated her guts and would probably just shake his head at how sacreligious her sneezes were, or something.

Rikku sniffled.

"What?" Yuna asked immediately, and made the rest of the part stop as well, "Is something wrong, Rikku?"

"She's fine," Wakka said immediately, and rolled his eyes, before stomping off. Rikku felt miserable. And frost bitten. But having her bestest buddy hating her guts was marginally worse.

"Just snot!" she said, with all the gusto she could muster. Most of the party made faces at that, but Yuna—didn't. She even fell back and took Rikku's hand and leaned against her a little. Which was sweet and wonderful and awfully nice of her…and had the side effect of both of them slipping off the path and into the ravine.

"I'm too cute to die!" Rikku clung to Yuna's foot, yelping when Yuna accidentally kicked her in the nose.

"Sorry!"

"Oh, no worries. I can just never get married now."

"Oh, Rikku," Yuna sighed.

"No, really," Rikku assured, "I'm sure it adds character." She wondered if it was broken. Was she bleeding? Probably. She was definitely bleeding. Her corpse would be gruesome. Maybe they could encase her in ice and parade her around and tell young children that stuff like this would happen to them if they looked up their cousin's skirt.

For the record, Rikku was not doing so.

There were just a lot of accidents.

Both girls clung on to their purchases until their dashing and valiant hero came to rescue them. His name was Kimahri. He was not impressed by their shenanigans. "This Ronso land," he grunted, and eyed Rikku warningly, like he was seriously going to toss her off the cliff if she dared to disagree. Ha, maybe Wakka would help. "Not place for desert people."

"Have you got a flag?" Rikku asked.

Kimahri accidentally tossed her into a pile of snow. Rikku's insides quietly shriveled up and died. "_Okay_," she enunciated, "Why would I even _want_ to live here, I mean, it sucks so bad I would have to grow blue fur and claws to survive."

Kimahri seemed offended. "It might make a nice summer home?" Rikku offered, and judging by the snow up her nose, this was also the wrong answer.

"Great," Rikku huddled next to Yuna as the three of them rushed to rejoin the main group, "Now I'm going to get hypothermia and die. Also, my nose is broken."

"Your nose isn't broken, Rikku."

"No, it totally is. You don't have to spare me. Disfigurement is just a part of life. Do you think I'll get to wear a patch for it?"

"Your lips are blue."

"Oh," Rikku said, with great eloquence, and nibbled on one hopefully. It was a bit like bitting on someone else's finger. "Yunie, my lips are all fat and grotesque!"

"You're getting numb," Yuna soothed. Like that was going to make her feel any better, "Don't worry, you'll be fine."

"I will be such a hot cripple. I can hobble around on my crutches and everyone will give me money and I think Wakka hates me now and it's not my fault and I hate him and oh, Yunie, I don't hate him, I want him to like me and I thought we were friends and—and—I'm sorry about Chappu, but Sin was the one who killed him and it wasn't me and if he says it's me then it's like he's saying I killed my mom too and I didn't, Yunie, I _didn't_!"

"Rikku," Yuna shivered, but unwound her arms from her body long enough to pull Rikku into a hug, "He's just peeling off scabs. Give him time to heal a bit, and it'll be okay."

Rikku thought about this for a moment, "That is like the grossest analogy ever, Yunie."

"I was _cold_."


	12. Lulu, Skyline

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Fandom**: Final Fantasy X and X-2  
**Commercials**: Prompts courtesy of HEADCANON!  
**Notes**: My NaNoWriMo project and I are calling each other rude names. Also, some important things are about to happen to this story! The next few chapters are probably the darkest in terms of tone and plot, and even Rikku's got to feel sad sometimes. Secondly, FFX's plot has nearly run its course, meaning that new character arcs will begin as we move into FFX-2.  
**Prompt**: Skyline— #17

* * *

This adventure was too big for her. Too heavy. Too sad.

"Lulu," Rikku whispered, "Lulu, please wake up."

"I was not sleeping," Lulu's low, soft voice answered her from the darkness. Rikku reached out and found one of the mage's oiled braids; the tightly coiled hairs leading into a glass bead. Rikku gripped it tightly because it was the same sort of glass she'd have found at Home. Except that there _was_ no more Home.

Which sucked majorly. Mom was back there. Scattered in the sand, anyways, but still _there_, and now where was Gippal supposed to come back to? He'd be stranded, and cry like a big, fat baby, and then his-hypothetical-girlfriend-Pus would keep him forever and ever.

"What is it?" Lulu asked, seeing as Rikku hadn't said anything, just grabbed her hair. Rikku shook her head, then remembered that Lulu probably couldn't see her.

"Nothing," she said, which was only the _third_ biggest lie she'd ever told in her life, the other two being that her brother was adopted, and that her mom wasn't dead. It was, of course, supremely obvious that she was lying, because she always laughed when she lied, and Lulu had freaky mind-reading voodoo.

"I see," Lulu said, and fell back onto her bedroll. Rikku waited for wise words of comfort and counsel. There were none forthcoming.

"Lulu?" she whispered, "Lulu, you're supposed to be the smart one."

Lulu sighed.

"I don't know what to do," Rikku said lowly, still running the thick glass between her fingers, "I don't want Yunie to die but—but I don't want _Sin_ to be here either…but why does it have to be _Yunie_? And, and I didn't mean it like _that_. I don't want _anyone_ to die. But it just keeps on _happening_ and—and maybe Wakka's right. About the Al Bhed. I mean, I mean I _know_ he's my friend again and all but—but he still hates us. I'm just, you know, I'm just the exception. Like I'm reforming, or something, or—I _hate_ my eyes, Lulu. I hate them because they're spirals and it makes me think of Spira and the whole thing that everyone's been saying about…about, um, eternal despair and all that, but—but what'd we do to deserve this? When does it end? When we're all dead?"

Rikku stopped, breathing too quickly, and waited for Lulu to say something. There was only silence in the dark, and a faint heat pushing up against her legs, from where the other woman lay. Rikku looked up. The stars were real pretty, here in Zanarkand. No light pollution. So pretty they were almost too bright, and she couldn't look at them for long without tearing up.

"What was Chappu like?" Rikku asked the stars, and this time, Lulu answered her.

"Stupid," she said, and sounded grumpy, so Rikku knew that meant she still loved him. "He was always so hasty. Big dreams. Sometimes, he'd—" Lulu stopped, and Rikku knew grief well enough to remain silent.

Lulu let out a slow breath, "Sometimes he'd bring me shells from the beach. Ones with snails and crabs in them."

Rikku laughed, and Lulu shifted slightly nearer. "But one day he brought me pearls," she said, and when Rikku cheeped in curiosity, she bent forwards and let Rikku run her fingers along the rope of silvery ornaments.

They sat in silence for a while, staring at the embers of the fire, until Rikku mustered enough courage to ask, "Is Wakka right? Was he like Tidus?"

"No," Lulu said, "Sometimes people see what they want to."

The more she thought about that, the sadder she got. Rikku dropped Lulu's hair trinket and huddled up miserably, wondering why Zanarkand couldn't have been real—like what Seymour and Tidus had shown her. A city of lights, instead of a graveyard for them.

"Lulu?" she asked, "Lulu, ghosts creep me out. I hate the Farplane and I hate the pyreflies. And I _really_ hate the undead."

"You should not peddle your hatred," Lulu reasoned. Rikku shook her head.

"No, I know, but they're just wrong. I wouldn't want mom to be a ghost. That would be too sad. She should be free to have parties and do whatever it is that spirits do. Soak into the earth and turn into plants, or whatever. Except there are no plants in the desert. Except at the oasis, I guess. Maybe mom's at the oasis." She thought for a moment, and then added, "She's probably a flower."

Lulu snorted, but Rikku knew that was just because Lulu was scared of _expressing her inner feelings_, so she let it go.

Besides, Mom was probably a prettier flower than Chappu. But Rikku didn't say that part, because Chappu sounded nice and Lulu might cry on the inside.

"Do you think Sin would go away if we fed Seymour to it?"

Lulu snorted again. "I think it would die."

"Definitely," Rikku agreed, and watched the lights above Zanarkand as they blinked.


	13. Seymour, Disease

**Entitled**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X/X-2.  
**Commercials**: I saved money by switching to HEADCANON!  
**Notes**: So my layout/notes for this story have been dropped by cyber space. I _cried_. Well, no, I didn't. But I did kick the chair. I tried to make this chapter sort of hysterical? So it's funny, but kind of…not, at the same time.  
**Prompt**: Disease — #11

* * *

Someone really needed to tell Seymour that stalking was not attractive. And that there was a line between persistence and—and—

How many times had they even killed him, again?

How many of them had actually been _Seymour_? Who, by the way, was not hot anymore and actually just totally creepy and technically married to Yunie who, by the way, was way too good for him and had Rikku's _written permission_ to get it on with Tidus. Despite the adultery. And—well, actually, Seymour was dead, so Yunie was a widow, which meant she was fair game. And even got some points! Mourning veils were so in.

Truth be told, Rikku felt sort of sorry for Tidus. His life was vaguely reminiscent of one of those books she had tucked away somewhere. The ones with shirtless men on the covers and dramatic exclamations of love.

Those books were for research purposes. And to mock. Because at fifteen, Rikku was much too old for such…such ludicrous and—and melodramatic…melodrama.

Also, the one time she'd kissed a boy, it had not been like that _at all_. And her mouth was not a _cavern to be explored_. That was just. Gross. Gross like Seymour! Who was still dead. But then, weren't they all?

"Am I the only one concerned about being in the belly of a monster?" Rikku asked the party at large as they trundled through The Many Attractions of Sin(!)

No one answered her. Though Tidus did sort of look back and grimace. Which was, okay, not verbose, but at least he'd tried.

They paused to slaughter yet another manifestation of Seymour. It was a very short battle, probably because Rikku threw all of their money at him. Well, everyone else's money. She'd conveniently stored her own in an old pair of shoes back at the Celsius.

"My upgrades!" Wakka whined, but it was a _subdued_ sort of whine, and soon they were marching after Auron again.

Rikku sort of wondered what the rush was. She had a leg cramp, okay? One did not go into the greatest battle of all time with a leg cramp. It just _wasn't done_. The same applied to her hairstyle, because dying on a bad hair day would be so incredibly depressing and—

Rikku searched her pockets frantically for a mirror. Great, now she was going to die and go down in history books as that one girl with bad hair. And cursed eyes. But her picture probably wouldn't even be that big, anyways.

Gippal would probably look at that tiny bad-hair picture and forget all about her. Nobody liked an _ugly_ tragic heroine.

"You know," Rikku announced, "This place? Not that bad. I mean, my shoes are fine. They are not digested at all. Which is great, because I had to work for these buggers. Did I ever tell you guys about that? Because I totally did, I mean, I stole them right under that dumb Blitz player's nose, no lie, so now I have fabulous, famous-person shoes, and I mean yeah, they smelled pretty bad at first and I think I might be outgrowing them but that is beside the point because they are lucky and—and I think I might build a summer home here. It's very, um, private. My compliments to your dad, Tidus. Oh, gosh, that was mean. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sure he's very nice."

"He's not," Tidus muttered. Rikku melted into a pool of agony. Maybe the digestive juices had finally gotten to work.

"Rikku?" Yuna glanced backwards, "Would you walk next to me?"

Rikku miraculously regenerated and elbowed Tidus out of the way, seizing Yuna's hand and clinging so fiercely that her cousin winced.

Okay, no problem. They just had to kick some godly ass and hack up a colossus. She also had to look out for Seymour, who was probably hiding behind a curtain somewhere. But! But so far, so good? Yunie wasn't dead, anyways, and—and she wasn't going to die, because Rikku had the situation under control.

Right.

A parachute would have been sort of nice, though.

"It's okay," Yuna whispered, so that none of the others could hear her. The rings her cousin wore were biting into Rikku's fingers, but it was a good sort of pain, an _alive_ one, so—so that was alright. "You don't have to try so hard, Rikku," Yuna murmured, "We're all scared."

"But!" Rikku flinched at her own voice and lowered it, "But don't you hate it when it's quiet, Yunie? It's like it's a disease, and you can fill up the eaten places with whatever you want and I _hate_ it."

Yuna was quiet for a moment. So Rikku had to fix it, "What d'you think Seymour is?"

"What he _is_? He's…an unsent?"

"Well, yeah," Rikku rolled her eyes exaggerated, pitching her voice so the others could hear, "He's an unsent. But he's also kind of freakish. I think he's a vampire."

Yuna looked alarmed.

"Pedophile," Tidus threw out, without the slightest bit of hesitation. Rikku nodded approvingly.

Yuna hesitated, then clapped her hands over her mouth. She murmured through her fingers, "A…a boogeyman."

"Alien!" Wakka chimed in with relish.

Lulu could not physically translate the disdain she felt for that statement, "Wakka," she snapped, "Don't be ridiculous. Everyone knows aliens are green."


	14. Auron, Cemetary

**Entitled**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X/X-2.  
**Commercials**: Vote team HEADCANON!  
**Notes**: This is the sad chapter. It's also the last one for the Final Fantasy X's plotline. Grit your teeth!  
**Prompt**: Cemetery — #26

* * *

Fact: Neither of them said goodbye to her.

Neither of them even looked at her.

And yeah, maybe she hadn't really gotten it at first. Not as fast as Yunie, who was prone to worrying, or Lulu, who could just _sense_ that sort of thing. So maybe that was how Rikku had been shuffled to the back, still so flushed with victory while everyone else was trying not to cry. Maybe that was why she'd just stood there, starring while cousin crashed through a ghost. Or maybe not even that, just an…an illusion. Tidus had stayed so much longer than Auron.

Auron hadn't looked at her. And yeah, so he'd been lying to her, so he'd been dead for ten years and wandering…yeah, he was probably tired, but he could have _waved_. He could have given her one of those smirky smiles so she'd have known it was okay.

But he didn't do any of that. He just picked up his sword and—and was gone.

Except by then everyone was looking at Tidus, and it was just Rikku staring at the spot that had once been Auron, thinking really stupid stuff like, _Oh my god! Auron fell off the ship!_

Except then she'd turned around and Tidus was all shimmering and not real and it was like a nightmare, seriously, so she'd started jumping up and down and waving her arms and yelling because—because maybe Yuna loved Tidus but she wasn't the _only_ one, and didn't Rikku deserve a goodbye as well?

But she didn't get a goodbye. She got to share a smile with four other people, and then Tidus was off and running for the edge, and Rikku'd started to run after him. She'd run pretty fast, too, bolted past Yunie and staggered to a stop at the very edge, peering towards the cloud banks and the ground for—for _anything_. She'd looked at all the pyreflies and tried to guess which ones had been dear to her, but couldn't, because all the souls looked the same and…and she'd never even said goodbye.

When she turned around Yuna was on her knees, crying without sound, all the pieces pf her broken heart pouring down her face. The others were just standing there, looking at the two of them with some mixture of pity and sadness. For a second Rikku wanted to jump off the ship too. Just spread out her arms and catch all the glowing souls and push them back into the warm earth, where _she_ was, but—but that wouldn't be right and the ground would _hurt_, maybe not as much as _this_ did, but anymore hurting would just about kill her.

Wakka was helping Yuna stand. He'd already lost his brother once, after all. Lulu and Kimahri were watching the pyreflies and not her—and it wouldn't even be _hard_ to jump, really, and she'd be _flying_.

Rikku took two steps back, _I'm sorry mom_.

--

Cid had dropped everyone off in Luca, so now it was just Rikku staring at the wall and playing games with screws and wires, making tiny machina and having march solemnly over the edge of the ship. She stopped doing that, though, when Cid yelled at her about one of them hitting someone on the head and knocking their brains out. She thought about accidentally killing Gippal and really, wouldn't that be just her luck?

Except Gippal hadn't ever written her back, so maybe he wasn't even—

No, no way. Gippal was smart like Lulu, even if she could hold her breath longer than he could. He'd be okay. Assuming she hadn't accidentally dropped a machina on him.

She wore all black the next morning and endured the verbal abuse. Badly.

"What the hell is that?" Cid asked, pointing at her outfit, "Are you stealing something?"

"It's the color of mourning," Rikku snapped back at him.

"You're an Al Bhed, Rikku. We wear red. And it makes you look fat, anyways."

"Screw you!" Rikku yelled, and threw her breakfast at that _horrible old man_, "They weren't Al Bhed, and who else is going to mourn them?"

Cid responded to getting food dumped on him by calmly and rationally kicking her off the ship. Rikku threw a fit, and yelled at the airship as it flew away. She even picked up a few rocks and threw them as hard as she could, though they fell pitifully short, and thudded down to the ground, beating the sand.

Rikku glanced around the desert, already breathing heavily from her tantrum, slung her knapsack over one shoulder and stomped angrily towards the oasis. Cid would probably be back for her in a day or two.

She had to change out of all her black clothes due to the heat, which had probably been Cid's intention in the first place. Rikku wadded out into the oasis until the water was up to her knees, and then she sat down, steaming in the literal and metaphorical sense.

She wasn't just a dumb kid. She wasn't going to just _get over it_. They'd been important to her, even if they hadn't loved her back, and—and it wasn't fair.

She pushed her head under water and scrambled towards the deeps, peering towards the wreck below her, and striking out for it instinctively. She was better now. She could take a few fiends.

The swords were still glittering at the bottom of the wreck, as ornate and heavy as she remembered them. It took her nearly half an hour to drag them to the shallows, due to both fiends and lack of oxygen. They were even prettier in the sunlight. One was enormous, probably solid gold, and decorated around the hilt with a bronze dragon. There were rubies set into the eyes. The other sword was smaller, almost light enough for Rikku to wield, and blue-tinted silver.

Rikku looked at them for a long time, running her palms carefully up and down the wet metal. Then she stood, carrying them towards the shade and planting them firmly at the base of the tree. She wove her hair ribbons around the handles, one red and one blue, then sat back on her butt and watched as the wind played with them, so the fabric snapped and shivered.

"Bye Tidus," she said to the little sword, and then, "Bye, Auron." She rubbed her eyes to get the sand out of them, then kissed each sword carefully, feeling only cool metal.

Cid would probably be back for her tomorrow. She could see Home smoking in the distance.

Rikku stood and dusted herself off. Her clothes were still wet, though they wouldn't stay that way for long. "You should stay there. I'll come back and visit," she promised, and walked into the dunes.

Behind her, the ribbons waved goodbye.


	15. Yuna, Documentary

**Entitled**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X/X-2.  
**Commercials**: HEADCANON, it's not just a religion, it's a life choice.  
**Notes**: I made you guys wait, and for this, I am sorry. From now on, you can expect some super-fast updates! Demand them! Slaughter me with annoying PM's until I deliver! Basically, this baby has be wrapped up by Christmas, so I need some slave drivers. Lady Gaga is a beautiful, beautiful muse. And no, I was not paid to say that! This is kind of a filler chapter, but it was a necessary one, so I'm sorry about that.  
**Prompt**: Documentary — #23

* * *

Corrections had to be made.

"Indecent exposure?" Rikku screamed, "I can see her _thong_!"

Thong-girl in question sneered, and Rikku knew with a blinding certainty that she had just found her arch-nemesis. Her arch-nemesis' minion rolled his eyes. "My club, my rules. Come back when you're old enough to have twins."

Rikku didn't get the twin's comment right away. But just because she didn't understand didn't mean she couldn't steal his wallet.

She had stomped halfway down the street before he noticed, too, and gave off an impressive bellow. So impressive, in fact, that Rikku's immediate reaction was to slam into the nearest wall before taking off running.

Life did not cut breaks for freshly sixteen year old kleptomaniacs. Not even the ones in belly-shirts.

That last bit was totally unfair, by the way. Some people knew how to appreciate true beauty. Like Gippal. Gippal had said she was pretty. Admittedly, that was two years ago. And Gippal persisted in thinking that he was better looking that she was so, like, he clearly had some sort of mental instability thing going on, except for that one moment he'd gotten all squinty and messed up her hair and said, "Stop being so cute," which was obviously a break from his normal instability (further supported because he'd only said it that one time,) and a rare flash of blinding insight.

Mysteriously enough, Gippal seemed to suffer from selective hearing-loss whenever she raised this topic. Clearly, he should have his head checked. Maybe then he'd stop having all those retarded ideas about running off without her. Also, Pus, who was the second greatest mistake of his life.

Rikku's musings were abruptly cut off as she slammed into the ground, the reason being the hand latched around her ankle.

"Help, help!" Rikku yelled to passing bystanders, "I'm being assaulted by a much older and extremely smelly male!"

The bystanders stared and were otherwise unhelpful. Rikku pointed her finger at them in a commanding and fear-striking sort of way, "Thanks a lot you guys, seriously. Next time a freakish whale-squid baby tries to eat you, I am not going to mess up my hair kicking its ass for you. I will just sit there and watch. From, like, from a safe distance. Which slightly impairs my ability to see you screaming for mercy, but. Right. Sin's dead."

The older/smelly male who'd she'd stolen from jerked her nearer, pinning her down with a knee to her stomach. Rikku shrieked and wailed and cried until he actually tried to take his money back—

At which point she was forced to politely break his nose and steal his hover-keys too. God, people were so _pushy_.

Scrambling back up right, Rikku panted for a moment, then adjusted her skirt and hair, sniffing a little before darting away.

It would have worked a lot better if her brother hadn't come tripping towards, shouting and waving his arms and doing other things that made Rikku pretend not to know him. "Rikku, frana'ja oui paah? Tyt'c kuhhy gemm oui."

"Frydajan, ra lymmat sa vyd. E's hajan cbaygehk du res ykyeh. Ihdem so haqd pendrtyo, E sayh, yd frelr buehd E femm aqbald y jano hela bnacahd." Rikku folded her arms, walking quickly with her head down. How had he managed to find her in _Luca_?

"Fyed, frana'na oui kuehk?" her brother cried in alarm, and threw himself after her, gangly limbs flopping every which way, his Mohawk even more abrasive than she remembered. Rikku gritted her teeth.

"E's tedlrehk oui!"

"Rikku, ed dygac sa y oayn du veht oui yht huf oui'na mayjehk ykyeh? E's kuehk du lno!"

Rikku fished in her pocket for the bouncer's keys and drew back her arm, testing the arc. She squinted, trying to make out land—trying to see Besaid over the long ocean. She couldn't. "Crid ib! E ryja cdivv du tu!

"Fryd cdivv?" her brother watched with comical dismay as she hurled the keys out as far as she could—relishing the spite of the action for only a second before guilt made her jump into the water after them. She swam furiously, snatching the keys before they'd sunk more than thirty feet. It was a good thing she couldn't throw very far. When she surfaced she coughed—and considered just swimming away, leaving her brother and all the things he reminded her of behind.

But he really would cry. "Famm…E tuh'd ghuf, cdivv! Esbundyhd cdivv! Cyjehk dra funmt!"

"Oui ymnayto cyjat dra funmt!"

"Hu, E teth'd!"Rikku yelled, almost surprised by how angry she was. She hadn't ever been a hero, and even if she'd said her goodbyes that didn't mean she couldn't miss them. "Udran baubma tet, yht drao'na tayt huf! So zup ec du syga cina hu uha vunkadc ed. E tuh'd fyhd du dymg du oui yhosuna." She finished with a gasp, and bobbed mutely in the water for a moment, glaring. The teeth of the key bit into her hand, "Am I the only one who never gets to be upset?" she whispered. Her brother stared at her, uncomprehendingly…or maybe not.

"Fryd ypuid Yuna?" he asked simply, and Rikku's stomach knotted, strangling the selfish little part of her and tucking it out of sight. A wave washed over her head, making her eyes sting and her nose burn. She snorted and paddled grudgingly to the docks. Her brother gave her a hand up, scowling ferociously, which she knew only meant that he was worried—hadn't ever gotten facial expressions down, that one.

Rikku looked up at the sky and dripped, silent and still and realized—that was it. That was her problem. She'd been in one place too long, doing stuff that didn't need doing, because she was above this, and even if she could bounce back, it didn't mean everyone else could.

Rikku looked down at the keys in her hand and grinned.

* * *

She tapped his shoulder, admired the rainbow bruise across the bridge of his nose, and thrust his wallet towards him. "Hello. I am cuter than you. Remember this and we will be besties! Also," she ignored the steadily flushing man to point at thong-girl, "Screw you, those things are fake."

And with that, she left with a flip of her hair and a flounce—

"My wallet's _empty_."

—as she took off running for her new airship, a little sphere banging around in her pocket.

* * *

**Translations**:

Rikku, frana'ja oui paah? Tyt'c kuhhy gemm oui. — Rikku, where've you been? Dad's gonna kill you.

Frydajan, ra lymmat sa vyd. E's hajan cbaygehk du res ykyeh. Ihdem so haqd pendrtyo, E sayh, yd frelr buehd E femm aqbald y jano hela bnacahd. — Whatever, he called me fat. I'm never speaking to him again. Until my next birthday, I mean, at which point I will expect a very nice present.

Fyed, frana'na oui kuehk? — Wait, where're you going?

E's tedlrehk oui! — I'm ditching you!

Rikku, ed dygac sa y oayn du veht oui yht huf oui'na mayjehk ykyeh? E's kuehk du lno! — Rikku, it takes me a year to find you and now you're leaving again? I'm going to cry!

Crid ib! E ryja cdivv du tu! — Shut up! I have stuff to do!

Fryd cdivv? — What stuff?

Famm…E tuh'd ghuf, cdivv! Esbundyhd cdivv! Cyjehk dra funmt!—Well…I don't know, stuff! Important stuff! Saving the world!

Oui ymnayto cyjat dra funmt! — You already saved the world!

Hu, E teth'd! Udran baubma tet, yht drao'na tayt huf! So zup ec du syga cina hu uha vunkadc ed. E tuh'd fyhd du dymg du oui yhosuna. — No, I didn't! Other people did, and they're dead now! My job is to make sure no one forgets it. I don't want to talk to you anymore.

Fryd ypuid Yuna? — What about Yuna?


	16. Paine, Zero

**Entitled**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X/X-2.  
**Commercials**: HEADCANON: my antidrug.  
**Notes**: I am a terrible person and I fully understand if you never want to speak with me again, but in my own defense: I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to make Rikku mature. So, now she's like a six year old instead of a five year old!  
**Prompt**: Zero — #30

* * *

Rikku had a new friend.

She had made this friend when the other girl had sort of casually menaced her into a dark alley and said, "You have a ship, and I want on it."

"You're really cute but I must warn you that my brother is a freak and should you eat my fingers he will come over here and do his freakish thing and _nobody_ wants that to happen."

The other girl sort of stared at her—kind of rudely, actually, but that was obviously just one of her charm points and Rikku was sure that on the inside, she was just a big, quivering pile of love. One that would not slice her into little pieces. Please and thank you.

"If you want money, I can pay you," the girl said softly, with a bit of a hair-flip. And an eye roll. There was definitely some eye rolling doing on. Rikku wondered if she should have filed for life insurance.

"Uh," she said, articulately, and then puffed out her chest. Right, Yunie. She had to keep this scary person away from Yunie! Because Yuna was quite impressionable, and if she hung around Ms. Shady Character, she might start wearing all black and black was really not Yunie's color. And so it was decided.

"The truth is," Rikku shifted, face turning pointed and clever, eyes darting, "We're, uh. We're the new kind of brothel! So. So, yeah. All aboard?"

"Fine," Ms. Shady Character didn't bat an eyelash. Rikku despaired.

"Okay, um, that was a joke! We're actually. We're cannibals. _Naked_ cannibals. So we just walk around with like, bite-chunks missing out of us and it's totally gross. Have I mentioned my brother?"

"I don't understand," the girl blinked. She really was quite pretty, if whips and chains could also be considered pretty. Probably had a dominatrix fetish. Unless she was a lesbian! But. No. Probably sword-sexual.

Ha! Ha. Ha…

"Okay," Rikku blurted, "Well. You're like, making me very uncomfortable right now and I. I'm sorry, but I'm just not interested!"

"What?"

"—you know, my _brother's_ available—"

"Would you just let me on this ship?" the girl sighed, her small mouth pursing. Rikku squeaked, throwing her hands up to cower behind them.

"Oh, god, fine! Just be gentle!"

The other girl looked at the heaven's pleadingly. She suspected they were laughing at her. Whoever they were.

She cleared her throat, and held out a hand, "I'm Paine."

"Really? Because I thought you'd have been something more like Penetrator—"

"Paine with an E."

"Rikku! And, _oh_." Rikku stared. Then she wiped her hands off along her thighs and grinned, "Oh, man, this whole time I thought you were—"

"Please," Paine said. She was definitely gritting her teeth. Oh, man!

"—anyway, yeah. You can come onboard! Just, uh, don't get in anyone's way and, you know, pay for your own food and stuff. And don't steal our spheres. Because that would just be majorly lame and I would threaten you but I feel like you could probably beat me up, so. Fantastacious!"

Paine turned deliberately, and began leading the way out of the alley, back onto the mainstreet, and circling towards the port. Rikku zipped along behind her, grinning.

"What should I pay you?"

"Eh, whatever, I'll probably steal your money anyways I MEAN," Rikku looked horrified for about half a second, "Did you hear something?"

Paine was privately relieved that she didn't really have any money in the first place. "Anything else?"

"You have to be nice to Yunie! And me. But not brother. Actually, if you killed him, that would be largely okay so long as you paid for the funeral and, you know, said you were sorry and stuff. Well, I'd be a bit mad. But only for like a week! By the way, I think we should be friends."

Paine made a noise of quiet despair. Rikku did a pelvic thrust of victory. "Awesome! You can sleep in my room."

"No."

"Meanie." Rikku pouted for about half a minute. They were some of the most relaxing moments of Paine's life. "Hey, Paine?"

"What."

"I meant it when I said you have to be nice to Yunie. She is in a state of metamorphosis right now, and transforming into a butterfly, and etcetera. So, um, don't make fun of her. She'll figure out make-up soon! I hope. She's really pretty, though, so she makes the rabid-clown look kind of appealing in a really sick, twisted sense and I mean, it's not like we could do any better and Tidus would probably still run after her like a demented puppy so—oh, right. You can't talk about Tidus either." Rikku stopped. Then she took a breath and grinned, "Except to me. Because I like talking about him! I mean, I think I do. Well, I'm getting there."

Paine nodded. Rikku kicked at a stone, watched it bumble down the path, and then turned towards Paine with a sparkle to her smile, "Let's make things better again. Can you sing?"


	17. Leblanc, Frills

**Entitled**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X/X-2.  
**Commercials**: HEADCANON saved my life.  
**Notes**: This arc was originally going to be Nooj's. Except then I realized that writing Nooj with Rikku is even harder than writing Seymour with Rikku, so then I had a VERY GOOD IDEA.  
**Prompt**: Frills — #18

* * *

Now that Rikku was a mature and responsible adult, she could do things like discussing her problems calmly and rationally. Which was why it was totally okay of her to have thrown that rock at Leblanc's head. Leblanc hit the ground with a thud and a screech, and rolled to her high-heeled feet with murder in her eyes and a spiky fan in her hands.

"Moving on to Plan B," Rikku whimpered as she scrambled to hide behind Paine, "Attack attack attack!"

Paine wandered off to smell some flowers. Which was…okay, since when was Paine into _flowers_?

Exactly.

So Rikku was left with no other option but to throw another rock.

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?" Leblanc inquired. As mature and reasonable adults will do.

"YOUR FACE IS MY PROBLEM!" Rikku bellowed, her feet planted, body bent forwards at the waist…before she remembered that wasn't the case. "ACTUALLY, NO. YOU STEALING MY COUSIN'S STUFF IS MY PROBLEM. _LAMER_. BUT YOUR FACE IS ALSO A PROBLEM."

"This is all so fascinating," Paine declared, and sauntered off into the badass sunset. Well, the mid-day skyline. But anyways.

"Um, Rikku," Yuna waved a little, even did a few, mincing steps in her new dress sphere to prove her point, "It's really okay. I mean, we got it back and all. Let's just let it go, okay?"

"Okay," Rikku agreed. And threw another rock.

"STOP IT!" Leblanc screamed, and rushed over to beat Rikku with her fan. Rikku sped away, alternatively cackling and screaming insults. Yuna was upset. Paine nudged her towards the docking sphere, making a few sharp gestures at Buddy for a pickup. "Don't worry. She'll get bored."

"PANSY!"

"YOU HORRIBLE LITTLE STRUMPET. STOP RUNNING!"

"Right," Yuna nodded doubtfully. The Celsius docked. Rikku had run out of rocks and was now slinging forth pits of dirt and grass, occasionally kicking and wailing for Paine to come and save her—and then turning around and biting Leblanc on the nose. Yuna suspected this might not be her cousin's best moment.

Eventually, Paine got tired of sniggering and dragged Rikku away, kicking at the two blondes with vicious high-heels. Rikku panted, hanging off her shoulder. "I totally won, didn't I? Yeah. Yeah, I so did. She squealed like a Ronso!"

"Ronso don't squeal, Rikku."

Rikku laughed giddily, "Don't they? Oh. I think I might have hit my head." A bit of blood slid down the bridge of her nose. Yuna dabbed at it kindly, and did a fair job of summoning the pluck Rikku had worked into her over the past year.

"Rikku, that was really…immature. And pointless. It's really not like you, I mean, you don't just go off picking fights with people—"

"I wasn't fighting." Rikku blinked, and stared at Yuna as though she were being stupid, "Please. If we were fighting, I'd have kicked her ass."

Paine might have snorted.

"Um," Yuna blinked, "Okay?"

"I harbor a deep attraction towards her that is both fascinating and repulsive," Rikku announced, "But she also annoys the shit out of me and I feel like I might grow up to be like her, except I will have hotter henchmen!"

"Undoubtedly," Paine agreed wryly. Rikku clapped.

"You're hired!"

"I am so confused," Yuna mumbled, "Can we just go back to sphere hunting?"

"Actually I've been overcome with the need for some girl talk," Paine declared. Waves of sarcasm oozed off of her. Rikku and her brother whirled towards her, their eyes shining.

"_Really_?" the two chorused, before looking towards each other in disgruntlement. Rikku solved the problem by kicking her brother's chair over.

"There's a sphere at Zanarkand?" Buddy offered. He was largely ignored.

"I don't quite understand your attraction," Paine said, after several minutes of puppy-eyes and whining. Rikku bolted upright.

"Oh, I hate her guts!"

Yuna rubbed her temples and went back over to Shinra, bending over him and reacquainting herself with the facts of life.

"Okay," all Paine needed was a nail file to achieve a state of perfect boredom, "Logic?"

"The line between love and hate is very thin!"

"I see. You're desperate and deluding yourself."

Rikku rocked back and forth on her heels. "Er."

"Just agree with me."

"Oh, but don't you think she has nice—"

"No."

"Meanie."

* * *

**Notes2**: Why is Paine so much fun to write? Despite what all you reviewers seem to think, I am actually much more like her than I am Rikku. Or at least, that's what I like to tell myself. Excuse me while I chase something shiny…


	18. Gippal, Cyberpunk

**Entitled**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X/X-2.  
**Commercials**: HEADCANON; for a brighter, better you!  
**Notes**: I know I keep on promising regular updates but this time it might actually happen? We'll see. Also, another new arc! And this one's pretty out there. And by the way, Baralai's next.  
**Prompt**: Cyberpunk — #4

* * *

"I think I should come too."

"Eh," Rikku eyed her brother and made face, "But I like you so much better when you're a relatively far distance from where I am."

Her brother crossed his arms and stuck his nose in the air. Rikku suspected the gesture was supposed to look noble, and it might've if she wasn't able to see his nose hair. "Dad isn't here. Someone's gotta watch you around that guy."

"Whaddaya mean?"

"You _know_ what I mean!"

Rikku bit the inside of her cheek, chest tight like she'd taken an extremely large breath of air, "You _aren't coming_."

"He's my friend too!"

"Then visit him on your own time," she snarled, jammed her knee hard against the muscle in his thigh. Her brother made a high, keening noise, and grabbed hold of her hair. Rikku screeched.

"No hair pulling! WE SAID NO HAIR PULLING!"

"Rikku," her brother panted, "You have to promise me that you won't run off and elope."

Rikku widened her eyes, "Oh, please. Like Gippal can even spell elope."

"_Yes, he can."_

Rikku waved an airy hand, "Look, I haven't seen him in three years. He probably won't even recognize me."

"_Yes, he will."_

"You think?" Rikku beamed. Her brother sunk to the ground, cradling his wound with teary eyes.

"And put a shirt on."

"This is a shirt!"

"That is the theory of a shirt."

"Don't try to intimidate me with scientific-sounding words!" Rikku yelled, and stomped off to find Paine.

Paine was in a very generous mood that morning, which was why she had only _attempted_ to kill the intruder. Their survival had everything to do with her pure spirit and was completely unrelated to Rikku's freakish ability to dodge sharp things.

"Well, gosh," Rikky picked the dagger out of her teeth, "You always answer the door like that you might end up killing someone!"

The thought was a very relaxing one. Paine scrubbed at her face and checked the clock.

"Rikku, you shouldn't be allowed to move at five in the morning."

"What're you talking about? I always wake up this early!"

"I bet you do," Paine muttered nastily. Rikku beamed, and plopped down upon the foot of Paine's bed, smoothing down her skirt.

"Now, as I was saying…"

"Do we really have to do this now?"

"We'll be at Djose in an hour!"

"We don't have to get off the ship the second we arrive, Rikku," Paine began, but abandoned the notion upon further inspection of Rikku's face.

"But _Paine_, we _have_ to," Rikku whined, and then paused, "Though, Gippal probably won't be up yet." Her face fell in comical anguish. Paine blinked.

"Gippal?"

"Mm-hmm," Rikku shook out a braid, "Do my hair!"

Paine reached for a pair of scissors.

"_Okay_, sheesh! Fine."

* * *

"So anyway when you see Gippal I can understand if you get a little overwhelmed by his cyberpunky-ness but don't worry because I _got your back_, okay Yunie? Okay. And anyways, I know how to deal with him better than you, you know, years of practice and all that and Paine you don't have to roll your eyes all the time and I think I read somewhere that if you keep doing that you'll go blind and you won't be very mysterious and aloof if you start running into doors all the time, no offense, and by the way, I think this skirt makes me look fat."

"Rikku," Paine elbowed the younger girl, "He's right there."

Rikku quelled her temporary paralysis. Yuna and Paine moved forwards to exchange greetings and, somehow, she found herself walking with them.

And—

Oh, God.

Was Yuna _flirting_ with him?

Rikku's brain sort of exploded. Because, no way. No _way_. She was _not_ losing her two favorite people to each other.

Gippal said something—who knew what, gave her a bit of a shove probably just to show off that he'd gotten taller and she hadn't—

"—always good for a laugh," Gippal smiled lazily, and Rikku just stared at him, because—

Well—

"Seems like a nice guy," Yuna remarked to Paine, as the two led the way back to the bridge. Rikku stopped, aghast.

"WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?" she snarled, her eyes bright, "He is _so_ much worse than I remember him!"

"He has that effect on people," Paine said, and Rikku had the feeling she wasn't supposed to have heard that, so she didn't respond. Yuna smiled, touched Rikku's shoulder comfortingly.

"Were you really a couple?"

"I WAS VERY YOUNG AND FOOLISH!" Rikku flushed, and stomped forwards with her arms crossed firmly. All was _not_ going according to plan.

"Rikku, wait!" Yuna cried, "If you want to catch up with him, go ahead!"

"Him?" Rikku sneered, "Who wants to talk to _him_?!"

"You do," Paine said, bluntly, and Rikku miraculously tripped over absolutely nothing, fell to the ground, and rolled back up to her feet.

"He just thinks you're cute!" Yuna fretted, "Rikku, why're you so _angry_?"

"I'm not!"

"She's not," Paine confirmed, "This is deliriously happy."

"_Paine_, don't be such a meanie!" Rikku shouted, and marched dementedly for several seconds before stopping dead. Her companions waited. Rikku turned, ears burning.

"D'you think…" she broke off. Yuna was stunned. A Rikku without words?

"Does my hair looked okay?"

"Very nice."

"Passable."

"Oh, good," Rikku nodded, and burst into tears.


	19. Baralai, Opacity

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: And now for a quick word from our sponsors: JOIN HEADCANON!  
**Author Talk**: See, look! I didn't even make you wait that long! In other news, this is the last arc introduced. From now on, I'll just be wrapping things up. It's a tiny bit sad!  
**Prompt Used**: Opacity — #9

* * *

"I can't believe you turned out to be Pus, Yunie."

Yuna was understandably offended, "I'm very sanitary!"

Rikku completely ignored this, "I dunno. I think. You're kind of short for him. Yeah. It'd be—weird. Don't you think it'd be weird, Paine?"

"Rikku!" Yuna yelled—honestly, it was probably the only time Paine had ever seen her get annoyed at the youngest of them, "Stop it!"

Rikku's face scrunched up, and she noticeably lengthened her stride, putting a significant gap between herself and the other two. Yuna looked crushed. Paine rolled her eyes. Only seconds passed before Yuna began to fidget.

"Don't give in," Paine advised. Yuna looked towards her with opaque, pleading eyes.

"But—"

"There are more important things," Paine said, with an abundance of maturity and aloofness. Yuna pouted. "Also," Paine added, as Rikku had taken off after a butterfly, "I think a goldfish could hold a grudge longer than Rikku."

"Yunie!" Rikku screamed, and the two of them turned to see the sulking diva sprinting towards them, her arms pin-wheeling. It appeared that the butterfly had been bait. "Paine, save me!"

* * *

"I don't get why we have to save the world _again_," Rikku muttered under her breath, "I mean, really. Can't someone else make an effort around here?"

"It's probably not going to lead to that," Yuna soothed, "I mean, Vegnegun has laid dormant for a thousand years, right?"

"_Biding its time_."

"Over-reacting," Paine said coolly, "You're an Al Bhed, aren't you? Just get in there and break the thing. Should be easy for you."

"What's that supposed to—oh. Why, _hello_." Rikku smiled toothily, her hip popping out as she wagged her fingers. Yuna stared at her.

"Um, hi?"

"I suppose I know why you've come," Baralai said, and Yuna jumped, turning quickly to face him, collecting herself as best she could and assuming her role as leader of the group. Rikku's eyebrows went up. She slunk over towards Paine.

"Hey. Don't you think they'd make a great couple?"

"No," Paine said, obviously not open to argument. Rikku shook her head.

"Paine, Paine, Paine, sometimes it's necessary to let the little birdy fly from the nest, you know?"

"...I have no idea what you're talking about."

Rikku hunched over, squirling her hands together.

"Oh," she said evilly, "Don't worry. I can handle this one by myself. Trust me, Paine, they have got _chemistry_."

"I thought she hit it off with Gippal pretty well," Paine said blandly, and watched as Rikku's made a sort of dying-twitch.

"That wasn't funny." Rikku muttered, and then returned her attentions to her cousin and brightened. "See, they're getting along great!"

And that was about when Baralai pulled a spear out of nowhere and Yuna almost shot a hole through his foot.

"I see your point," Paine agreed, rolling out her shoulder and hefting her sword casually. Rikku hissed.

"They're just repressing it."

"Sure."

Rikku moved in to do some damage control. Yuna could obviously not be trusted to pick up her own men.

"You know," she smiled winningly, "A big, strong man like you wouldn't really hit a girl, would you—?"

Rikku studied the cieling for a moment, then picked herself up off the floor, "I feel wronged," she announced.

"We can do this later," Paine snarled, hacking at Baralai dementedly until finally just leaping onto his back and attempting to choke him.

"Paine!" Rikku cried, aghast, "Now when we socialize at the wedding, it'll be awkward!"

"What?" Yuna and Baralai asked at the same time. Only, when Baralai said it, he sort of gurgled. Rikku huffed, and dodged an ugly spell the maester sent towards her, then batted at the singed tips of her hair.

"Just my secret plot, no worries," she jumped with a squeak, stumbling when Paine accidentally crashed into her. "Hey, watch it!"

Paine treated her to a scalding look, "You could _help_."

"But I'm like our representative!"

"Look," Baralai mopped at his brow, "Would you please just get out of here?"

"Not a chance," Yuna flared up. The two of them stared at each other.

"Very well," Baralai bit his lip, bending into a combative stance once again, "Then I ask your forgiveness, Lady Yuna."

"Such a gentleman!" Rikku simpered, and then screamed like her arm had been chopped off. "He _cut_ me!"

Baralai stared at her in bafflement—and then went back to fighting Paine, which seemed like the safer option.

"Excuse me!" Yuna snapped, as neither warrior was paying the slightest attention to anyone other than their opponent. Paine was, unsuprisingly, holding her own.

"You tell him, Yunie!" Rikku encouraged on her dying breath, "Don't let him ignore you! You gotta fight for affection! You got fight for love!"

Yuna marched up to Baralai and clocked him with the barrel of her gun. He dropped. Paine wiped the corner of her mouth, panting some.

"I could have handled it."

"Sorry," Yuna shrugged. She didn't sound very sorry.

"I'm dying," Rikku reminded them from her position, prone upon the floor.

"You're not dying," Yuna sighed, and bent to slap on a band-aid.


	20. Le Blanc, Vocal

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: HEADCANON is in the air!  
**Author Talk**: Yipes, I'm two thirds done! It seems like it took _forever_. Man, those earlier chapters...they're like distant memories! Maybe that's why I'm so inconsistent. Ha! Ha. Funny joke, you guys...  
**Prompt Used**: Vocal — #3 (Le Blanc)

* * *

"Paine, I had no idea you looked so good in pink! I'm jealous."

"Be quiet."

"I don't think I can do this," Yuna whispered. She clung to the post, shivering. Rikku pinched her.

"Yunie, quit it! You gotta look menacing. Bad guy, you know?"

"Um."

"Good luck with that one," Paine ducked the arm that one of Le Blanc's goons tried to catch her with, and slithered further down the passageway. "They need to redecorate."

"I think it's charming." Paine looked towards the gnarled roots fondly. One of them resembled a woman's screaming face.

"I think they're dead people."

"They're not dead people, Rikku."

"Oh."

"Please don't make me do this," Yuna whimpered, "I don't give massages. I don't want to touch her!"

"Uh, yeah," Rikku nodded, "Because of the fungus?"

"FUNGUS?"

Paine put Rikku in a headlock, "Go forth, Lady Yuna," she said without an inch of mercy. Yuna's awkward eyes blinked in terror, before she turned, visibly steeled herself and vanished into Le Blanc's rooms.

"Evening," one of the male goons said as they walked past, "Having fun?"

"So much," Paine said flatly. Rikku wriggled.

"My ears are exploding."

"How unfortunate."

"Paine, lemme go! My ears are cute. And if the blew up, you'd miss th—"

"OH, YEAH. HARDER."

Rikku choked. Paine accidentally let her go. Neither of them dared to move.

"YES! YES—YES, MORE, GIVE ME _MORE_—"

Rikku attempted to grab hold of Paine's hand for comfort and was only narrowly thwarted.

"AH—_AH_—"

Paine pinched the bridge of her nose and tried not to make eye contact with the goons standing guard at the door.

"Nice weather," one of them called. Paine sighed.

"Yunie's taking all of my lovers," Rikku whined.

"I'm sure we're just misunderstanding—"

"TOUCH ME MORE."

"That is not a massage noise," Rikku said pointedly, "That is a sex noise. Really, Paine. You're such a prude."

Paine considered herself above retort.

"HARDER."

"I almost feel proud," Rikku squeaked, and crossed her arms over her new red jumpsuit, "Maybe she'll give me a massage later, if I ask really nicely."

Paine ducked her head, "Don't."

Rikku gestured grandly towards the room, "Well, she's _obviously_ pretty good at it."

"Hey," one of the guards piped up, "What're you doing standing around here? Go on, get out of here."

"Bite me."

"Paine," Rikku sqwacked, and smacked a hand over her eyes, "She has turret's."

"I'll cut you."

"Looks pretty bad," one of the goons sympathized.

"Terrible," Rikku's eyes filled with tears, "Lasting trauma from when her husband left her for a younger woman."

The goons gasped. Paine ground her teeth.

"Actually, that was the bi-polar issue. Her turrets is from when...when she had her leg bitten off by a Ronso as a child!"

"_I have both my legs, you imbecile_."

"OH, GOD, I'LL MAKE YOU MY SLAVE."

The goons fretted, turning towards one another and gossiping at a decibel only just below what Le Blanc and Yuna were currently emitting. Paine pursed her lips. Rikku spun and flashed her a peace sign. "Don't worry, I've got an in."

"We're rescuing Yuna," Paine said, and blasted into the room.

"Oh my god!" Rikku yelled, haphazardly knocking the goons unconscious before launching herself at Paine's waist and dragging her feet, "What if they're naked!?"

"I don't—"

"Do you _want_ to see Le Blanc naked?" Rikku hissed, her eyebrows arched. Paine faltered, but rallied miraculously.

"Fine, you go. You're the one who's desperately attracted to her, right?"

"I told you, I had too much herbal tea that day."

"Tea's a sedative, if anything."

"Paine," Rikku patted Paine's shoulders, "Since when has logic applied to me?"

Paine was forced to conceed the point. "Well? What do you suggest. We can't just stand here. Someone will notice these two and sound the alarm."

Rikku studied her victims. "Oopsie."

"COME ON, PUSH IT. _PUSH IT_."

"Poor, poor Yunie," Rikku tilted her head, "Or should I congratulate her? D'you think Le Blanc's any good?"

"I'm not going to consider it."

"I mean," Rikku hooked her fingers under her googles and pulled them backwards, arm curved around her head, "Sure, she's like, our nemesis. But when you think about it, her sex appeal is cheap and blatant and as trashy as it gets but she's still got like, boobs, and frankly, none of us are doing too well in that department. Also, I think you should consider the benefits of an experienced lover—"

The doors to Le Blanc's room burst open, and Yuna came rushing forth, a bit wild about the eyes. Both Rikku and Paine studied her for hickies.

"I..." Yuna gulped down a breath of air, "Um. Let's just. Go. Over there. I mean. Mission, right. Completion required. Line?"

"Holy crap!" Rikku yelped, "I oughta sue!"

"Supress the pain, Yuna," Paine advised, low voice somehow carrying despite Rikku's loud shrieks, and the yells of alarm from down the hall. And they were so well disguised, too!


	21. Paine, Edgy

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: If you are pregnant or have a history of heart disease, HEADCANON may not be for you.  
**Author Talk**: Hello! Bit of a wait, sorry. It's my only writing project at the moment, however, so prospects are good. As always, thanks for the feedback. It inspires me!  
**Prompt Used**: Edgy – #5

* * *

Rikku was comfortable in the warrior dress-sphere. More comfortable than Yuna, anyways, who always seemed just a little bit off-balanced, and held onto her sword much too tightly. It was painful for her.

But it made Rikku feel closer to the dead, instead of missing them.

Paine did not especially appreciate Rikku hogging the garment to herself.

"This is ridiculous," the dark girl snapped, and threw her rod at the ground angrily. Rikku licked at her split lip and made a face.

"You betcha. You're like, healing-retarded."

Paine sent her a look of withering hatred. Rikku, inappropriately thrilled by this, only continued, "I mean, _sorry. _I'm sure that there are other people out there who take a year to learn the cure spell. I'm sure there are. You know. Somewhere."

Paine wordlessly began shredding the edge of her robe, and stalked away from Rikku with her back stiff.

Rikku beamed, and leapt upon her cousin, crowing, "I think Paine might be having her lady red."

"I think she's going to murder you when I'm not looking," Yuna remarked. Rikku scoffed.

"Oh, Yunie. Don't be ridiculous. Paine loves me!"

There was the sound of a distant explosion from where Paine had disappeared. Yuna winced. Paine reappeared, her eyebrows smoldering.

"I don't like the alchemist's dress-sphere either," she intoned sulkily. Rikku trembled with laughter. Yuna closed her eyes. It was significantly less funny when Paine switched into Yuna's gunner sphere and attempted to blow their heads off.

"You missed!" Rikku screamed, lugging Tidus' old sword through the underbrush behind her. Yuna, against her better judgment, tried to play the pacifist.

"Paine, really, you know she doesn't mean it."

Paine simply looked at Yuna, and the former summoner strategically retreated. Well, she'd tried.

Yuna watched her partners for a few minutes, before slinking over to a safer, more distant vantage point.

"Good to have you back," Buddy greeted while Rikku's brother threw himself around Yuna's knees and lamented the time they had spent apart. Yuna wobbled.

Paine, meanwhile, had run out of ammo.

"Rikku!" she yelled, "Give my back the damn sphere!"

"And in a flash, she steals in on the hideous attacker from behind, contemplates a wedgie, but abstains! There is no place for wedgies in a battle to the death!"

Paine spun, caught the ends of Rikku's hair in her peripheral vision, and threw her guns towards the blonde. They, too, missed. Fuming, Paine swapped out her dress-sphere for the fourth time.

Rikku stopped running long enough to clutch at her sides and giggle. And then Paine started beating her to death with a microphone.

* * *

"Rikku," Yuna pinched the bridge of her nose, "You need to give Paine back her dress sphere."

"Why should I?"

"_Because I will destroy you_."

"_Because_," Yuna cut in, "Because Paine is very, very good at hacking things into tiny pieces."

Rikku sniffed, feeling quite the brat, and too embarrassed to apologize for it. Still, she knew when she was cornered.

"Baby," she muttered, and tossed the sphere casually. Paine caught it, narrowed her eyes, and stalked stiffly back to her cabin. Rikku made a very flattering face at her back. Yuna sighed.

"Oh, Rikku," she began, more sad than angry, "Can't you please grow up?"

Rikku watched silently while her cousin shook her head, and followed after Paine. The blonde girl pursed her lips and glanced angrily at the bridge. Shinra, Buddy, and her brother were all terrifyingly silent.

"I'm trying!" Rikku said, though she hadn't meant to.

* * *

Gippal still hadn't come back to Djose when she went to look for him, and so Rikku proceeded to make herself very small while she indulged in an enormous sulk. Gippal would probably laugh at her if he saw her now. Tidus wouldn't. Tidus would make some lame joke and it'd be totally stupid and not even funny and it'd make her feel better though there wasn't much point in thinking about Tidus now because he was, you know, still dead and gosh, that just bummed her out even _more_.

"You here for a job?" asked some kid who wasn't an Al Bhed but dressed like one anyways. Rikku gave him the stink-eye, even if he was sort of cute.

"No," she snapped, "I am _looking_ for some emotional guidance."

"Oh...cool," said the kid while he backed away from her. Rikku snorted, plopped her chin between her knees and pretended that Gippal _was_ there, because even if he did always make her feel nervous and stupid, Gippal always had a _plan_. And that wasn't something Rikku particularly excelled at.

She wasn't especially good at getting along with her travelling partners either, it seemed. Rikku sniffed, and blinked hard, and was so focused on not bursting into tears that when her brilliant idea struck her, it took a moment to register.

_Of course._


	22. Lulu, Nerve

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: HEADCANON should only be taken in small doses.  
**Author Talk**: I'm on a roll!  
**Prompt Used**: Nerve – #7

* * *

"Rikku, I'm about to have a baby. I don't exactly have time to spare."

"Right, I know," Rikku nodded eagerly, and brandished her pad of paper, "That's why I'm just going to sit in the corner, observe your behavior, and take notes!"

Lulu didn't even know where to start. And so she diverted the topic. Rikku noted that as well. "Does Yuna know you're here?"

"Um," Rikku widened her eyes guiltily. Lulu sighed.

"And I trust that they do know you left of your own volition?"

Rikku scoffed, "Well, duh. We had a fight."

"I see," Lulu was purposefully scanning through her dark-covered, intimidating spell books, "So for all they know, you've run away to join the circus and abandoned them to deal with the impending crisis on their own." She paused suddenly, tracking a long white finger along a line of text, eyes moving quickly over the page. Rikku grimaced. It wouldn't have killed Lulu to have worded it a bit more nicely, would it?

"Look, Lulu, it's not like I'm not going back. I just need you to teach me how to be an adult, and then I'll get out of here, I promise."

Lulu didn't answer her for a while, instead rummaging through a multitude of jars and bottles, selecting a pinch of herbs here and there, or occasionally a spoonful of a more dubious sort of power. Rikku watched curiously, but was then hit with a flash of inspiration.

"Is that like an aging potion?"

Lulu stared at her bemusedly, "Even if I _could_ make one, Rikku, I wouldn't give it to you."

"Why not?" Rikku whined, and accepted the bowl Lulu passed her, pounding the herbs within.

"Because I would be killing you."

"Oh, that's stupid," Rikku muttered to the herbs. She sniffed them cautiously, then pulled away hastily. Whatever she was holding, it didn't smell benign. Maybe Lulu had finally snapped! Maybe she was trying to kill Wakka!

Rikku delicately set the bowl to the side. "If I had to croak five years earlier, I'd be cool with it."

Lulu glanced up at her, and shook her head slightly. "Rikku," she said calmly, "In five years, you will be exactly as you are now. Perhaps a bit wiser or a bit slower, who can say? But you cannot be anyone other than yourself. No one really grows up. I act just the same as I did when I was five. I am still myself."

Rikku stared at Lulu, and then moaned, falling back onto the guest bed and staring moodily at the ceiling. she waited hopefully, wondering if Lulu would have the kindness to prompt her. But of course she didn't. Rikku pulled her knees up to her chest, so that he feel pointed at the ceiling.

"I just want it to be easier!" she blurted out, "I'm not good at making decisions and I hate hate hate it when someone yells at me and I just...I just think I wouldn't be so stupid if I were, um, older. And mature. And stuff. I don't want to be the kid anymore."

If there was an answer to Rikku's problem, Lulu offered none. Sighing heavily, Rikku let her legs fall back down, tingling as they were. She leveled herself upright and picked up her pages of notes.

"I should go back," she said miserably.

"That would be the adult thing to do," Lulu agreed. Rikku muttered a few curses, and began to stalk out of Lulu's hut, when there was a sudden crash behind her, and Rikku spun. The bowl of herbs was overturned upon the floor, and Lulu had gone very white, one hand pressed against her stomach. Rikku's jaw dropped, and her brain exited in a calm and orderly fashion.

"Lulu," was all she managed to say, before snapping her mouth closed and rushing to help the other woman to the floor. Lulu shook her head, lips pressed together.

"Hurry and fetch Wakka," she ordered, and then gestured to the bed. "No. Help me to the bed and fetch the neighbor woman. She will know what to do. Then you can get Wakka."

"But what if it...falls out!?"

Lulu sent Rikku a look of withering disdain. Rikku bolted.

The neighbor woman had been easy to find. Wakka was a different matter. It took her an entire hour of running and hoarse screaming before she found him up to his knees in ocean water, gaze fixed on some distant place. Rikku, panting as she careened through the surf, crashed into him. Wakka staggered.

"Rikku? What're you doin', girl?"

"YOUR WIFE IS HAVING A BABY," Rikku roared, and fell over into the surf. When she surfaced a moment later, coughing, Wakka was staring at her in complete incomprehension.

"Ya," he ventured, "I think everyone on Besaid knows that, man."

Rikku stared at him speechlessly. And then she blew upright and socked him in the jaw, on the verge of hysteria, "I MEAN RIGHT NOW." she roared, and watched the color drain from Wakka's face.

"Oh," he said dumbly, and looked nervously over his shoulder as though worried someone might be watching them, "Right now?"

Rikku nodded, and Wakka nodded with her, though more slowly. After a moment she pushed him back towards the village, so nervous she was almost hopping. "Wakka, come on!"

But Wakka dragged his heels and bit his lip, and after a moment, his shoulders began to shake, and he made that gasping, choked sound a man makes when he doesn't want to cry.

Rikku's hands dropped back to her side.


	23. Wakka, Compulsion

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: Underwater kissing scenes? Priceless. For everything else, there's HEADCANON.  
**Author Talk**: Character growth is always such a painful thing. I hope it was less so for you than it was for me. Next chapter will be funny! I think. Well, it will attempt to be funny and you can all laugh pityingly.  
**Prompt Used**: Compulsion – #13

* * *

At the sight of Wakka's tears, Rikku's already stressed state of mind snapped. She alternated between yelling at him and patting his shoulder with a few awkwardly murmured 'there-there's.' Wakka kept his face turned away, breathing quickly and unevenly as the minutes passed. When he finally spoke, his voice cracked.

"I can't do this," he said, and looking at him, Rikku knew that he wasn't afraid of commitment, but of failure. And a curious thing started to happen. As Wakka fell apart, Rikku pulled herself together. Puffing out her chest she glared at him, and finally, finally said what she had wanted to tell him for a very long time.

"You want your baby to grow up without a dad?" she yelled, "You big dummy! Stupid! We beat Sin so that stuff like this wouldn't happen anymore! So that people could fall in love and what had happened to us wouldn't happen to anyone else! Look at my dad, Wakka – he's a _moron_! You couldn't do worse than him if you tried and you know what, I still love him! So I'm sorry that you grew up without a mom but you know, you're not the only one, and I'm just sick of you acting like everything's about to be ruined when it's finally healing! I'm just sick of it!"

Rikku caught herself with a cough, as the tumbled words and the hour of running caught up with her and forced her to catch her breath. Wakka stared at her, his eyes wide. She wiped at her eyes angrily, shouted, "It's _healing_!" again, and stomped off, her anger made awkward by the sand. She didn't turn around to see if Wakka was going back to Lulu. She knew he would.

And Rikku wasn't about to let anything ruin that. Not Wakka's insecurities or the warring factions or some crazy-scary ghosts. Rikku clenched her fist in resolution and tripped over her own feet, falling face-first into the sand.

So, things were off to a good start.

* * *

"I did not run off to join the circus and leave you to face the impending crisis on your own," Rikku announced just as soon as Buddy had warped her back on to the bridge of the Celsius. Paine raised her eyebrows and shrugged. Yuna smiled a little. Shinra cleared his throat.

"Actually, I thought you'd gone to cry in Djose."

"What? No. Don't be stupid. Who the heck does that? Gippal's not even there. And why would I go to Djose? Are you implying something? Because I do not appreciate implications. Also, Gippal smells and Yuna has a crush on him."

"I do _not_!"

"Yuna has a crush on Baralai," Rikku amended, with a sly look slanted towards Paine. Paine adopted a certain expression, the one that said, 'I don't know the crazy person, she's not with me, please don't hesitate to arrest her.'

"Yuna has a crush on Brother," Rikku's brother chimed in hopefully. Rikku surveyed him in disgust.

"Remember when I used to beat you up?"

"You still beat me up."

"Yeah, well," Rikku grimaced, and crossed the room to stand with Paine and Yuna, "I'm sorry I ran off with your pants, Paine." she passed over the clothing with due solemnity. Paine frowned down at them.

"Did they even fit?"

"I had them altered," Rikku smiled in a way that was meant to be charming and cute and resulted in Paine excusing herself to break things.

"I'm glad you're back," Yuna said, suddenly, and looked shyly to the side, "I'm...sorry, Rikku. I didn't mean what I said. I was just...um, I don't know. But I'm sorry."

Rikku beamed, and sighed happily. "Oh, Yunie. I would so totally stalk you, except we already sleep in the same room."

Yuna tried not to let this statement trouble her.

"Wakka and Lulu had a baby!" Buddy announced suddenly. Rikku rolled her eyes. Yeah, like that wasn't old news. "And..." Buddy trailed off, and then started again, "Hey. You can take on Vegnagun now. Any temple you want. So...where to?"

Yuna fidgeted, abruptly nervous. "I'll get Paine," she said, and left the bridge. Rikku watched a moment, then plodded over to Buddy's chair and pointed at the map.

"Djose," she said calmly. Buddy twisted to look up at her.

"You sure? There might be some missions left for us to do–"

"No more running," Rikku said firmly, and crossed her arms. Buddy studied her for a moment, then shrugged, and set the course. Satisfied, she fell back. Her brother twisted in the pilot seat.

"Why Djose?"

Before Rikku could say anything, Shinra cut in, sounding perfectly innocent. "Isn't it obvious? That's the path Gippal would have taken."

There was a quiet second during which her brother processed this. He looked towards Buddy gravely and warbled, "Rikku's growing up!"

Rikku grit her teeth, but as she couldn't think of anything to defend herself with, settled for clobbering her brother, and returning to her cabin for a last-minute rest.


	24. Baralai, Highrise

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: HEADCANON; why settle for anything less?  
**Author Talk**: I don't think I've ever written four chapters in the same day before. Wow. Kudos to me.  
**Prompt Used**: Highrise – #15

* * *

"Yunie, I changed my mind. Your summons kind of suck."

Yuna wailed. Paine sent Rikku a dangerous sort of look, and Rikku shut up.

"I can't believe they'd all attack me," Yuna hiccupped, "We...We bonded!"

"You poor thing," Paine comforted, looking pained whilst she did so. Rikku watched them anxiously.

"Guys? Guys, I know you're bleeding on the inside and all, but. But can we move out? I'm worried about...about Baralai. For Yuna's sake. Yuna, your Plan B is probably getting pummeled as we speak!"

Yuna sniffed magnificently, and allowed Paine to help her back to her feet. Taking a steadying breath, the heroine once again continued forwards, loyal sidekicks in tow.

"Is Baralai some kind of metaphor?"

"Of course not. I mean, that's ridiculous. As if I possess the subtlety to construct metaphors."

"She has a point," Paine pointed out. Yuna grimaced, but looked at Rikku suspiciously all the same.

"But she used the words 'construct' and 'subtlty' and 'metaphors' in the same sentence. Correctly."

Rikku was not as insulted as she should have been. Paine shrugged.

"Then I guess she's living vicariously."

"Maybe I just want to see my cousin be happy!" Rikku shrieked, red to her toes.

"Ha, right," said a little voice from the ground, and Rikku fell on top of Gippal. It was not especially romantic. Both of them moaned and glared at each other.

"Hey, it's Gippal," Yuna said, before remembering that this was an astonishing obvious thing to say, and so closed her mouth with a blush.

"Hey," Paine greeted, all monotone. Gippal smirked at her. Rikku devoted herself to ignoring him, and started tuning out as he addressed Yuna (again!) preferring instead to devote her energy to hiding behind Paine.

"Pathetic," Paine muttered. Rikku pinched her. Meanwhile, yuna said something, nodded determinedly, and then turned again to confer with Paine. Rikku counted down from ten, told herself that this was _nothing_ compared to facing down giant machina and monsters and dead people, and snuck towards Gippal.

"Hey, kid."

"I have undergone a period of significant growth, you big meanie," Rikku snapped, and then wished she hadn't when he snorted. She blushed, and hoped that Yuna and Paine weren't paying her any attention.

"So you say."

"Hey," Rikku glanced quickly at his stomach, which she suspected to be injured, though it didn't seem to be bleeding, "I could kick your ass, easy."

Gippal laughed, "So? I'm still richer."

"I've saved the world!"

"I got paid for it," he grinned. Rikku wanted to say something to him then, something about how much she had missed him or about how she was clearly his superior or how she'd already lost a lot of people and so he wasn't allowed to die here, but mostly about how she didn't know how to talk to him, now that they'd been apart for so long.

"Well, you're a farthead," she declared, and slapped the most potent healing potion she had into his lap before rising to go and hide behind her friends.

Even Yuna was smirking. And Yuna was not an especially practiced smirker, which only made the expression more alarming. Aghast, Rikku turned away.

"Don't we have to kill something?" she asked loudly.

"Oh, annoying blonde one," a shrill, womanly voice called, "Don't worry about your boy. I'll take good care of him."

Rikku stopped dead, clutched woefully at her hair, lamented to the heavens, and then turned to confront her nemesis. "_You_. Why must you molest everyone I know?!"

Gippal made a little choking noise. Yuna looked like she wanted to die. Le Blanc's sculpted eyebrows drew to a point, and she sneered. "Why, because they get so little attention from you, of course."

Rikku made a few clawing motions.

"Excuse me. I take my leave of this idiocy," Paine announced, and swept away. Yuna fled in her wake. Rikku glared at Le Blanc, and then at Gippal, blanched, and hid her face in her hands.

"Oh, god. Gippal, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"

"Rikku, shut up."

"Run along now, love," Le Blanc sneered, "You can trust me."

"You–" Rikku stomped angrily, "I'll...I'll seduce your stupid Noojie-woogie if you do!"

"You wouldn't," Gippal and Le Blanc said at the same time. Rikku made squinty eyes at them just so they knew she meant business, and took off running.

No sooner had she caught up with her partners than Paine spoke up, "Yeah, Baralai is definitely a metaphor for something."

"I think you two are very sweet," Yuna said earnestly. Rikku dismissed all of this with a grunt.

"Like that even matters. I have to seduce Nooj now."

Paine and Yuna were unsure of what to say to this.

"I mean, it's only fair," Rikku muttered, "If you look at it from a mathematical standpoint, it follows that, if the unattractive variables are on opposite sides of the equation and an attractive variable is added to one side, another attractive variable should be added to the other so that things will balance out!"

Yuna actually traced this out on her hand, brow furrowed with concentration. Paine gave up in disgust.

"What if you just subtracted the unattractive variables from both sides?" Yuna tried. Rikku paused.

"So now I have to kill Le Blanc? Oh. Well, yes, I suppose I could do that."

"I hate math," Paine complained, gaze fixed upon the highrise and what waited them at the top. This was, in her opinion, hardly pre-battle pep talk.


	25. Paine, Photography

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: HEADCANON; have it your way.  
**Author Talk**: Make that FIVE chapters in the same day, holy cow. What I can accomplish when my internet's turned off. Maybe I should do this more often. But then I would probably go into withdrawal, or something equally unfortunate.  
**Prompt Used**: Photography – #24

* * *

"So, what're you going to do now?"

Paine, who had been standing with her hands braced against the small of her back, turned away from edge of the ship and looked at Rikku calmly.

"That's him, isn't it?" she clicked her fingers towards Tidus and Yuna, their lovely embrace, how beautiful they looked, back on Besaid. Rikku smiled without meaning to, her eyes wet.

"Yeah, that's Tidus."

Paine nodded, but went on studying him warily, almost as though he were a criminal. Rikku looked at her, and opened her mouth suddenly, feeling as though she should defend Tidus somehow.

"We're done, aren't we?" Paine asked softly. Rikku frowned, shaking her head.

"What're you talking about? Of course not. Tidus will just come with us! He's really cool, promise. He won't mind."

Paine smiled a little, waving towards the group on the shore line, and starting down the ramp. Rikku fell into step quickly, sighing as the sea breeze ran through her hair, and tasting warm salt upon the air.

"Yuna's the one who won't want to leave," Paine explained, and gave herself a running start, leaping over the last few feet of ocean, and landing neatly on the beach.

Rikku didn't follow her.

Because she knew, abruptly, that Paine was right. Yuna wasn't restless in the way Rikku was. She wasn't solitary like Paine. She had suffered enough, had walked far enough, and was now, quite simply, done.

Rikku's throat closed, and she looked at the couple again, at how happily they smiled at each other, and glued her own smile on.

She would worry about it later.

* * *

"I guess I'll stay in Besaid," Rikku announced later. Yuna smiled delightedly, and Tidus ruffled Rikku's hair the same way he had in the past. It was strange, now. Tidus wasn't older than her anymore. She pretended to be fifteen and it was easier, after that.

Paine said nothing, but her dark eyes glittered, and she'd been carrying around her old recording equipment all night. Sometimes she filmed, sometimes she just took pictures. The ones of Yuna and Tidus all looked lovely and soft. The ones of Rikku seemed to be a study of bad angles and horrible lighting. Rikku suspected this was not an accident.

Rikku focused on being happy, on enjoying the rich, fruity food the feast had to offer, and laughing at all of Tidus' dumb jokes. She focused on how happy Yuna looked. She focused on the baby Lulu held to her breast and the fast, hesitatingly grateful look Wakka had shared with her. She focused on all of these things so that when Paine stood and moved away from the party, Rikku could pretend it didn't hurt.

She got up, and ran after the other girl.

"You could have said goodbye."

Paine shrugged. "I don't really like to."

"Oh." Rikku said, a little lamely, and licked her lips, "Are you going very far?"

Paine sighed and settled on the pier, her legs hanging over the side. She looked coolly into the dark ocean. "I'm sure it will seem that way."

Rikku nodded, and looked down, "What do you think I should do? I mean. I mean, I can't stay here. Not long."

Paine shrugged. "I can't tell you what to do, Rikku."

Rikku grimaced, and then brightened, "What if we went together?"

Paine snorted, "I'd probably kill you."

"Oh." Rikku squatted, and then settled herself back on her hands, hooking the backs of her knees over the edges of the dock. She rested her head against Paine's shoulder. "Yep, you would. Yunie is my human shield."

"Right," Paine agreed, and then gestured, "I think I see the ferry. It heads to Luca, doesn't it?"

"Yep! Unless it's a pirate ship. Paine, I bet it's a pirate ship. Don't get on."

"Whatever," Paine snorted as she dug through her pockets. She dropped a picture into Rikku's lap, though in the darkness, Rikku couldn't make it out. "Say goodbye to Yuna for me."

"Can I say goodbye to Rikku for you?"

"No, I'll say goodbye to Rikku for me," Paine corrected. They both waited until the ferry drew alongside the dock, and Paine swung herself onboard. She looked back, waved, and called, "Don't worry about figuring it out, Rikku. Trouble loves you. You'll probably get dragged into something if you just wander around a bit."

"Oh, thanks," Rikku grumbled, and then wailed, "Bye, Paine! I love you!"

And even if she couldn't see, Rikku knew that Paine had rolled her eyes. "Later, Rikku."

* * *

Rikku went back to the party, and held the photograph near the fire. She blushed, and hid it immediately. Yuna dropped beside her.

"Rikku? Where'd you go?"

"Paine's gone," Rikku said, and kissed Yuna's cheek quickly, "She says bye."

And then Rikku took a step backwards, waved with both hands, and took off into the night, yelling her farewells as she went.


	26. Le Blanc, Comic

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: HEADCANON; write like a champion.  
**Author Talk**: Gasp! Only four left to go! Well, that was sudden. As always, thanks so much for the critique! If you've noticed the changed summary by now, yes, the story is ultimately Rikku/Gippal. I thought it was sort of obvious, considering I don't think I ever went a full chapter without dropping his name, but there you go. I hope I haven't offended any delicate sensibilities.  
**Prompt Used**: Comic – #25

* * *

So it turned out that setting out on a quest for independence without the funding to actually back up such a venture was a pretty lousy idea. Rikku looked at the boat's motor, not five feet from where she sat. It was a very small boat, to be sure. Some of the bigger waves made her nervous.

She had also been drifting aimlessly around Luca for about three days now, powerless to do anything but wave her arms around and scream while powerful ships sent water sloshing over the edge of her schooner. The people who chanced to look on her would sometimes wave back, laughing. Doubtless, they recognized her as a competent young woman, and not as someone in need of dire rescue.

And dire rescue was certainly necessary, thank you very much. Yesterday she'd had to eat a seagull. Well, she almost had. It turned out that seagulls liked to crap on the people trying to eat them.

And so, miserably hungry and pushed far beyond a tolerable stress level, Rikku wondered, sullenly, how things could possibly get any worse.

"Are you making some sort of statement?" a throaty, garish voice called, "Because you look a bit sun burnt to me. God, you stink."

Rikku grit her teeth. Oh, of _course_. Why didn't the universe just throw in another giant squid while they were at it?

It was, then, very satisfying to see Le Blanc drifting in a miniscule vessle of her own, lipstick smeared around her mouth. Rikku sneered. "My motor's broken."

"Oh?" Le Blanc trilled nastily, "How quaint. You must be the defect of your race, if you cannot fix a simple motor."

Rikku licked her lips, but really, really tried to stay on her best behavior. "It's out of gas."

Le Blanc seemed to find this hysterically funny. Rikku narrowed her eyes, calculating the distance between their boats. Perhaps fifteen feet? "Well, what're you doing out here? Or did they vote you off the island? I bet they got sick of you, you big fartsicle."

"_I_ am on a treasure hunt," Le Blanc said primly, her nose in the air. Rikku tried to maintain her composure. It was not a thing that came naturally to her.

"Look, are you going to help me or not?"

"Certainly not! You would sink my boat."

Rikku sputtered indignantly. "Whatever! At least I don't have to pin back my face every morning!"

"I'm only twenty seven!"

"Twenty seven what? Leap years?!"

Le Blanc gave a scream of rage, and rammed Rikku's boat. Rikku yelped and toppled into the water, seizing her bag as she did so, and kicking out strong. She reached the far side of Le Blanc's boat, heard the motor powering uncomfortably near her ear, and hoisted herself up.

"Get off!" Le Blanc yelled, as the side dipped under Rikku's weight and a stream of sea water ran in, "My god, get off!"

"You get off!" Rikku snapped, and toppled in. She lay dazed for a moment, before regaining her senses enough to kick at Le Blanc's feet. "Stop _hitting_ me, you psycho! I'm going to have my _own_ adventure now, and so far it's been, okay, really lame but if you would just freaking _share_ I think I have a decent chance of scoring some hot studs–I mean. I mean, embarking on a journey of self discovery."

"GET OFF MY SHIP."

"THIS IS HARDLY A SHIP."

"INSUFFERABLE LITTLE TOAD."

"YOUR SHOES ARE UGLY."

Le Blanc gasped, and Rikku could almost see 'Critical Hit!' flashing above the other woman's head.

And then, victory in sight, Rikku set her hands on Le Blanc's shoulders and gave the woman a very firm shove, sending her kicking and screaming into Luca's briny waters.

"Mid-boss defeated!" Rikku yelled, and did the pelvic-thrust of victory. She stuck around just long enough to be sure Le Blanc could swim, and then zoomed away sopping wet, but decidedly more cheerful than she had been ten minutes ago.

The engine jittered under her grip, and Rikku eased into a more sustainable crawl, inspecting her new vessel. Definitely an upgrade, if one was willing to overlook all the pink. The only thing that wasn't as far as she could tell, was the engine itself. Definitely new, and the craftwork looked familiar, even if she couldn't place it just now. It didn't smell, either, or leave grease stains all over her hands. Suddenly curious, Rikku flipped the lid and took a hearty whiff. Right, no oil. No spark either, insofar as she could tell, which meant they weren't burning anything, which meant...

Which meant she didn't know, except for the manufacture's signature engraved on the inner lid. Rikku's eyebrows raised as she traced Shinra's name, and then she snapped the cover back down.

Well. Looked like there was something to investigate after all.


	27. Baralai, Dusty

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: HEADCANON; it just keeps going and going.  
**Author Talk**: I have been listening to bad techno remixes for about an hour in preparation for writing this chapter. Appreciate my sacrifice! Although I do kind of like the remixed version of Bad Romance. It makes me giggle. I don't even _know_ what I'm listening to right now. I think I just heard the Tetris theme. So, yeah, if this chapter's weird it is so not my fault.  
**Prompt Used**: Dusty– #29

* * *

"The machine faction didn't back me," Shinra said, surprisingly calm even under the strain of Rikku's terrifying battle pose. Rikku made a face, and backed up. The whiz kid turned back to his computers, reading too quickly for Rikku to keep up.

The room they were in was familiar to her, at least, though changed. Home had been almost completely rebuilt, the scorch marks painted over, and manufacturing facilities burning around the clock. Rikku glanced down at the boy and his clean, dark clothes. Shinra looked different. Still small for his age, but now wiry and pale, blond hair slicked back.

He was also, as she had come to realize, something of a business tycoon.

"Do they know about it?"

"By now, yes," Shinra laughed, "Gippal's not very happy with me."

"Why not? I think it's great! Now my hair won't smell. Oh, is he jealous of you? That's probably it. You are kind of obnoxiously competent, Shinra. But still not as cool as me. Why, when I was your age, I saved the world!"

"You were the mascot," Shinra corrected, coldly. Rikku set a hand against the computer's monitor and gave it a casual shove.

"Shinra!" she smiled prettily, "Brawn conquers brain!"

Shinra, condescending smile forgotten, stabbed a button with unnecessary aggression, and Rikku shrieked as the floor pulled a fast one. Shinra seemed to be having the same problem.

* * *

"You are the worst evil maniac ever," Rikku snarled, and lunged after the younger boy as soon as his lackeys set her down. Shinra, his face smeared with sewage, recoiled and hid behind a significantly larger body guard. Rikku glared, and took a threatening step forwards. The body guard got out of the way. This might've been because Rikku was also covered with sewage.

Shinra hit another button. This time a cage dropped on both of them. Rikku giggled nastily.

"If I weren't so mad at you this would be pretty funny," she cackled, while Shinra flushed with embarrassment, and then screamed as Rikku threw him into a headlock.

"Respect your elders, you little twerp!"

"Get off me!"

"HOW DARE YOU DUMP ME IN A PILE OF SHIT?"

"GET OFF!"

"I HOPE YOU COPY-RIGHTED YOUR LITTLE OPERATION HERE BECAUSE IF YOU DIDN'T, I AM TOTALLY GOING TO STEAL YOUR IDEA AND SELL AT A LOWER PRICE!"

"That won't be necessary," said a new, cooler voice. The cage cranked up. Rikku spun, dragging Shinra by his neck. Her mouth open.

"Are you lost?"

"No," Baralai said, and crossed his arms, calm. He looked much older than she remembered, older than he had a right to be looking. His once immaculate robes were dusty from the deserts winds, though his composure was locked tight as ever. Rikku looked from him to Shinra and back again.

"Are you here on some sort of religious crusade?"

"Quite the opposite," Baralai clucked his tongue, and Rikku released Shinra, stiffening her spine and otherwise standing to attention. A little bit of...something...slid down her arm. She shuddered.

"New Yevon and Shinra Inc. have entered a partnership," Shinra explained. Rikku quivered with sudden laughter.

"Shinra Inc.?" she repeated. Shinra adopted his 'superior-being' expression. Rikku laughed, then casually flicked her hand at the walls of bars and gears, "What kind of partnership? Can you even tell the difference between a bolt and a screw?"

"They're supplying our energy," Shinra said, scathingly. "Haven't you noticed?"

"Don't give me none of your lip," Rikku dismissed, though it was mostly to watch Shinra seethe. "Are we out of oil again?"

"We've found a more efficient, safer sort of fuel," Baralai corrected. The hairs on Rikku's arms stood up. Her fight instinct was tingling.

"That doesn't explain why you'd help the Al Bhed. I know New Yevon took a big hit last year, but if you mix faith with economics, you'll lose whatever followers you have left. _Duh_."

"And you almost sounded intelligent."

"Machina are against teachings, yes. The same can be said of Machines. But the temples have been the keepers of the old technology for a very, very long time. Yu Yevon has granted us that."

Rikku processed this, smiled nervously, and started backing up. "Well, sounds cool. But you better not go all quantity over quality on me, Shinra, or we'll have _words_. And..." she struggled, trying to piece together what it was she was supposed to be asking. What Yuna or Paine would have asked. Gosh, this hero thing was _hard_.

But after a moment, she shook her head, shrugged, and turned away. "Well, that's all I was here for. Guess I'll leave now."

She kept tense as she walked away, waiting for someone to try to grab her, but nobody did. Rikku left, intact, and carrying only the faintest trace of unease. She ran her fingers over the things she'd liberated, holding them to her face. They glowed with a familiar, cold light she'd only seen in Seymour's simulated Zanarkand.

Her next stop, then, was obvious.


	28. Tidus, Rewind

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: HEADCANON; forget to but a present for Valentine's day?  
**Author Talk**: The bad techno music continues! This time it's a remix of Lucky, by Britney Spears. And some Chinese techno. The experience is not unlike an acid trip.  
**Prompt Used**: Rewind – #27

* * *

Tidus didn't give hugs. Tidus just knocked the wind out of you.

"Hi," Rikku mouthed, air stuck somewhere in her throat. Tidus rubbed some sand in her hair, and Yuna fell upon the pair of them, laughing, before she remembered that she was supposed to be angry. She punched Rikku's arm far too gently.

"Ow," Rikku said, perhaps indulgently. Yuna pouted.

"You totally ditched us! I can't believe you'd just take off like that, Rikku."

"Yeah, sorry," Rikku sat up, blinking. "I brought presents!"

"That isn't going to make me forgive you."

"Good, because I didn't actually bring any and I was going to have to invent some when you weren't looking." She smiled dopily, then screamed as Tidus casually tossed more sand into her face while Yuna huffed, then gave up and helped Rikku to her feet.

"Are you staying long?"

"No," Rikku looked away quickly, "I just wanted to check something, actually. Unless you want to feed me! Because that would be cool. I would not object to you bribing me into visiting with food. I mean, not your food. And definitely not Lulu's food because I think the things she serves are either still alive or they've been dead for way, way too long and – and I'm happy to see you."

The cousins smiled at each other.

"Are you wearing a thong?" Tidus asked, sounding impressed. Yuna turned about ten shades of scarlet. Rikku turned towards him proudly, stretched one of the straps and snapped it back to her side.

"Heck yes."

"Nice," he grinned, and they slapped hands while Yuna pretended that talking about underwear wasn't the most mortifying thing on the planet.

"What are you checking on?"

"Oh, right," Rikku blinked at Tidus, "Do you remember Zanarkand?"

"I think you've been there more recently then I have."

"I mean, your Zanarkand. The old one."

Tidus raised his eyebrows, looking awkward. He shrugged, "I guess. I don't know how much of it was real, though."

Rikku smiled at him apologetically, and glanced at Yuna for permission to continue. "It's just, the machina looked different when I saw it at Seymour's. I mean, the machines."

"Because of the metal?"

"No. They didn't...they didn't look hot. They didn't smoke, you know? Like, they didn't run on oil."

Tidus stared at her in total incomprehension, then coughed, "Okay?"

Rikku wondered, perhaps a bit grumpily, if Tidus would have been able to so much as fix his own toaster.

"Oh, wait," Tidus brightened suddenly, "I think I get what you're saying. No, yeah, you're right. Everything was plugged into a grid. Like, a widely distributed power unit."

"What about portable stuff?"

"You mean like a battery? Yeah, you could buy them at the store."

"So there wasn't a circuit? You just popped one in? Was it magic, or something? I don't understand where this energy comes from."

Tidus stared at her, mouth slack, "Do I get a lifeline?"

Rikku sighed.

"What about the faythe?" Yuna asked, suddenly. She blushed, "I mean...sorry, I don't know what I'm talking about. I always felt so powerful when I called one of my summons, I mean, so I just thought..." she trailed off, and stuck her hands behind her back, looking ashamed. Rikku abruptly realized she was frowning, and loosened her brow.

"Can you even do that? Just pull energy out of nowhere like that?" she scratched the nape of her neck, thought another second, and threw her hands in the air. "Ugh! I hate this theoretical stuff."

"I was probably totally wrong, Rikku..."

"No, you weren't," Tidus said suddenly. He looked at Rikku intently, "The faythe are just bits of the planet's energy. I think that's right. I think Zanarkand was tapped directly into the core. "

"You used the faythe?" Yuna gasped, "But that's like...that's like burning your dead to keep warm."

Tidus looked uncomfortable, "Maybe that's why we were punished. It never made sense to me, you know. Why should some gods care if we played around? Why should we have to suffer for that? But if we were burning up the planet, then...it makes sense."

"But that's just..." Yuna's voice abruptly died off, and she turned on Rikku almost pleadingly, "It's wrong, isn't it, Rikku?"

"I am so confused," Rikku announced, "Seriously, everything you just said? Bazinga." she laughed carelessly, "Besides, what do we care? The gods are dead."

"Why'd you ask?" Tidus gestured towards himself at her puzzled expression, "About Zanarkand, I mean."

"Shinra's started something with Baralai. Some kind of manufacturing plant."

"Makes sense. Baralai gets the faythe, Shinra gets the machines. Yeah, I could see that."

"But won't Sin come back?" Yuna spoke up, her eyes wide. Tidus and Rikku glanced at each other. Yuna was pulling at her lower lip, and she grabbed Tidus' hand unconsciously. It made Rikku a bit lonely, to see them like that. "Maybe not now," Yuna continued, "But...but eventually, things will get out of control again. And Yu Yevon might be gone but the planet isn't and...and suppose something terrible happened?"

Rikku found she couldn't answer.

"I can't do this again," Yuna whispered. "I can't do this cycle all over again. I just can't."

Rikku closed her spiral eyes. Desert child. Descendent of those who had brought ruin, and who would do so again, if unchecked. Everything was connected. Her eyes opened.

"Yunie, please," Rikku snorted, "You think I can't slap around a little kid?"


	29. Yuna, Ever

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: HEADCANON; have it your way.  
**Author Talk**: Yikes, I'm nearly done! I guess everyone can figure out what the next chapter's going to be, huh? Now that I'm so close to the end, I want to write a sequel, or something, to keep going with my original plotline. I guess I'll think about it.  
**Prompt Used**: Ever – #16

* * *

"Hello, little worm!" Rikku cooed. The baby burped at her.

"It would seem you share a common language," Lulu observed.

"My son is not a worm, ya," Wakka muttered. Rikku was too busy trying to touch the tip of her nose with her tongue to pay him any mind.

The baby chirped, and Rikku amused herself for another minute before dumping him on Wakka. The baby promptly burst into tears. Dismayed, Wakka patted it awkwardly until Lulu scooped their son away from him, clucking.

"So Yunie told you, right?"

"About why you rode a powder puff across the ocean and only visited for a day? Yes, she told us. She's very hurt, you know."

"Yeah, well, I'll talk to her later," Rikku mumbled, and looked ashamedly towards her shoes. "And don't call my ship a powder puff. Do you have a ship? Uh, no. Besides, yours would be ugly whereas mine was both free and accessorized by which I mean I stole it from my arch-nemesis and that just makes it like fifty times better."

"It's not a ship."

The baby squealed. Rikku black-listed it.

"It's a boat, and it's a metaphor."

"Ya, no."

"Is so," Rikku crossed her arms, "It's a metaphor because it clearly ties into me saying my goodbyes and...and, yeah. The next child you have should be named after me."

"Oh," Lulu said coldly, "There will be no more children." She looked at Wakka evilly.

"Really? Bummer. I kinda think having a super big family would be ultra funtastic and--"

"Have you ever had a baby?" Lulu interrupted. Rikku had opened her mouth to tell Lulu that she was way too skinny to have had a kid, but stopped at Lulu's murderous expression.

"I'll just be going now." Rikku said, meekly, and showed herself out.

She found Tidus on the beach, cradling a Blitzball and watching the ocean, expression almost peaceful. She kicked sand on him. "Hey, I'm having an adventure, in case you missed that earlier. Oh, and you don't get to come. Sucker. Except, you know, if you and Yunie want to come, you totally can. Except maybe not because, um, my ship is kind of small and your collective fatness would result in us drowning. Well, not us. But Yuna, yeah. I think she's allergic to the ocean. Which is why she lives on an island, duh."

"Like I want to go on your lame adventure," Tidus smirked at her. Rikku huffed.

"Oh, screw you, mine will be better than yours!"

"I came back from the dead!"

"Oh, you never existed in the first place!"

"Or _did_ I?" Tidus spun the Blitzball on a long index finger and grinned smugly, "What's your plot twist?"

"Sin came because of my direct ancestors."

"Well, jeez, Rikku. You can't just give it all away with the prologue."

"Oh," Rikku reflected, and then threw her arms around Tidus, "Okay, well, I'll find some way to compensate. Bye, Tidus. Love you. I'd threaten you, but you've already sort of broken Yunie's heart so, uh, not much point."

"Oh, thanks." Tidus shook her off, grinned until it became awkward, and then strode down the beach, rubbing at the back of his neck. Rikku took a breath, and headed to the pier. Yuna was sitting in Le Blanc's boat, staring moodily at the water.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No," Yuna said too quickly, and frowned. She shook her head, picking at the paint job. Rikku watched her cousin scatter pink flecks into the ocean water. "No," Yuna said again, "I'm not, it's just...you always leave people behind, Rikku. You know that?"

Rikku shrugged uncomfortably, "I'll come back, promise. Don't be sad, Yunie."

Yuna's head whipped around, and her eyes flashed, "Well, you better," she said, cheeks coloring, "Because--because I'm going to need you to there when I get married, alright?"

Rikku's mouth fell open. And then she screamed.

"What?!" Yuna gasped, scrambling back onto the dock and rushing to her cousin's side. Rikku punched her arm, still trilling.

"You! Yunie, you're getting married! I--Oh my _gosh_!" Rikku gasped, and clapped her hands to either side of her face, "_Oh my gosh_! I _love_ you! You won't start without me, will you? Because I have to be there. Like, seriously. I will cry if you don't invite me. I will make you fruitcakes every year and send them to you and oh my gosh what're you going to wear and when is it and and and have you picked out baby names or are you just going to name them all after me because, have I mentioned, Rikku is a _great_ name and--"

Yuna clapped a hand over Rikku's mouth, mismatched eyes panicked. The two girls stared at each other for a moment before they both started hoping up and down. The pier shook. Rikku leaned forwards and kissed Yuna between her eyes, clasping her cousin's hands tightly.

"Well, jeez," Rikku gasped, "Yunie, your news is so much cooler than mine. I mean, planet in danger. Whatever. It's only been going on for _a thousand years_."

"No, um," Yuna squeezed Rikku's hands, "It's. You know. You'll be there, right?"

"Well, _duh_!"

"Okay," Yuna nodded, paused, and then said firmly, "Come back and visit me a lot, Rikku. Please."

"I promise," Rikku said, as serious as she ever was. It felt like her chest was exploding with happiness and love and--and fear, as well, because it was strange to think of a fight without Yuna. But promises meant something. Promises meant you had to live forever to see them through.

So Rikku kissed Yuna again and got into Leblanc's boat and hummed away, looking straight into the sun for as long as she could stand.

She found him at the oasis.


	30. Gippal, Ace

**Project ID**: Bottles of Summer  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2.  
**Commercials**: HEADCANON; a place where dreams come true.  
**Author Talk**: Goodbye, everyone! It was fun! For me, anyways. Maybe someday I'll come back and write this the sequel it's set up for. Until then, take care, and thank you all for reading!  
**Prompt Used**: Ace — #21

* * *

"So, I was thinking," Gippal began without turning to look at her, "D'you know how lame it'd be if some twerp ran me out of business?"

Rikku rested a hand on the sword's hilt in greeting, and snuck a look at him. He'd changed more than she'd thought he would. Darker clothes and a leaner face.

"Are you sulking?"

"You're too young to understand."

"I'm eighteen in like a _week_!"

"Yeah, yeah," he clicked his fingers towards where she stood, "You know, you were supposed to wait for me."

She glanced down at her impromptu grave, "Something came up, you know?"

"Huh," he shifted, finally turned, walked towards her lazily. "So, are we gonna do this or what?"

"We?"

"Well, you know," he shrugged, "I've gotta wipe out the competition or the Machine Faction's gonna be taken over by a Yevonite." He stopped just before her and she reached up to prod at the new ring through his eyebrow.

"You don't have to make up an excuse to do the right thing, Gippal."

"Whatever. Are you tagging along or not?"

"Tagging along?" Rikku repeated, and then smacked his arm, "You jerk! Don't go taking over my story when it's just getting started!"

"Sure, sure. What're you even doing here?"

Rikku faltered, glanced away. "I was saying hello to an old friend. What's your excuse?"

"I heard there was some maniac crossing the ocean in a pink tugboat and wanted to see if it was true."

"It's a ship!"

"It's an abomination and I'm having someone put holes in the bottom."

"WHAT?"

"Yeah, well. It's for your own good."

"YOU SUNK MY BOAT?"

"I thought it was a ship?"

Rikku gaped at him for a moment. Then she dumped her canteen over his head.

"So you've stranded me in the middle of the desert?! You _jerk_!"

Gippal pushed back his now sopping hair from his eyes and glowered at her, "Relax, would you? I've got a ship."

Rikku opened her mouth to say something scathing about her rights as an individual and that he wasn't allowed to treat her like a kid anymore--but lost the train of thought. "Can I drive?"

"You're like a maniac," Gippal complained, but dug into his pockets and pushed the keys into her hand. They were still wet from his skin. She clenched them, and looked up, smile bright.

"You make me so _mad_," she announced, and looked at him for too long, so that it became awkward. Blushing, she pushed the keys into the pocket of her shorts and stepped around him, marching off.

"Other way," Gippal said. She stopped he hadn't moved. She had the sense he was waiting for something.

"What?"

"I thought you were going to miss me."

"Miss you?" Rikku stammered, but recovered. She put her hands on her hips and scoffed. "_You_? Please. Why would I miss _you_?"

"You attack all the women who come near me."

Rikku stared at him, speechless. She experienced the painful kind of blushing. "You're a _jerk_," she said, again, but with a bit of a thrill.

Gippal smirked, but it wasn't a wholly unkind expression, "I guess. Ship's over that way. We should get Nooj and Paine to help us. Anyone else you can think of?"

"Le Blanc'll come," Rikku began, but then stopped and shook her head furiously, "Um, actually, let's not invite her."

"If Nooj is coming along, so will she."

"You know, Paine and Yuna and I were just _fine_ by ourselves. Three is a _great_ number, really." Rikku broke into a trot, drawing alongside him. She could see his hovercraft now, squatting low on the horizon. She glanced behind her, noting their footprints through the sand. His strides were almost twice as long as hers.

Gippal's hand fell on top of her head, pushing her hair into her eyes. She cried out and swatted at him, pushing away and fixing her hair as best she could. It still didn't feel right, even when she'd stopped fussing with it. "What was that for?"

"You," he said casually, not looking at her, "I mean, jeez, would it kill you to sit around and mope a bit? Did you have to make me chase you all across Spira?"

Rikku stared at him wordlessly.

"Seriously, Rikku. Our adventure has been totally delayed."

"Well, you left first."

"You _said_ you'd wait."

"I did not!"

"It was implied!"

"I _did_ wait! You were the one who acted like you'd forgotten me!" Rikku snapped, and then took off running. She climbed into the hover and locked the door's, fuming. Gippal's hand beat lazily at the window.

"If you think I forgot, you're kind of stupid."

Rikku opened the door grumpily, "I'm not going to be your sidekick. You can't just drag me around and take off whenever you want and go off philandering with Pus."

"With what?"

"You heard me!" Rikku said fiercely, gripping the armrest too tightly. Gippal blew out a breath.

"Fine, I'm sorry I blew you off at Djose. But you did the same thing."

"You were different!"

"So were you!" Gippal snapped, then kissed the corner of her mouth much too quickly. He looked almost angry about it. "Why'd you grow up without me?"

"I didn't. I'm still short."

"That isn't what I meant."

Rikku nodded, and then said, "You kissed me."

"Yeah."

"Well, that's okay. I'll exact my revenge later. Or right now."

And so she did, because she'd been kissing Gippal since they'd been children, and so it was only the natural thing to do. Of course. Completely ordinary.

Rikku let go of him and fell back into her seat, staring abashedly at her hands.

"I missed you."

"Promise?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, then," she sniffed, and crawled over to the driver's seat. Gippal got in behind her, and shut the door. Rikku reflected upon this new development.

"How would you feel about getting 'reserved' tattooed onto your forehead?"

"Rikku, drive."


End file.
